Under the Tuscan Gun: A Liason Story
by Vrgogrl22
Summary: Based in 2007 after the Metro Court Hostage Crisis. Liz finds herself in a world of trouble. Will Jason step up in time. Major Miscommunication about paternity. I don't own ABC, General Hospital, Under the Tuscan Sun, or any of the Characters therein. This is my first fic, try to be kind.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

Under the Tuscan Gun: A Liason Story

 _Prologue_

 _ **Spring 2007**_

The bus was cramped with excited tourists as they sipped on the wine given to them as part of the tour. Cameron and Aurora, both toddlers, were watching the movie that was playing on the iPad, too engrossed with the animation playing out before them to be bothered with the jubilant squeals and laughter of the adults seated around them. Sitting next to them in the aisle seat, was a very pregnant Elizabeth Cerio ( _pronounced with s-sound_ ), _formerly_ Spencer. The look on her face radiated concern rather than happiness…'Happiness,' Elizabeth thought with mental scoff… 'Was fleeting feeling at best.' Ever the-glass-half-empty sort of woman (at least in more recent months), she decided to look out the window and take in the beauty of the one country she had always longed to see.

The rolling hills filled with miles and miles of farms, owned by the same families for generations, and the infinite beauty therein, was not lost on her. Perhaps, it was the fact that when she imagined Italy, it wasn't so much the place that she wanted to see, but rather the person she imagined she would see it with. Elizabeth gave a half smile, as they drove past several fields of sunflowers. It was impossible not to smile at least a little with all those happy yellow flowers staring back at you, waving in the wind. ' _The Wind,'_ Elizabeth lamented _,_ letting out a sad sigh.

As the cramped bus came around a corner, Elizabeth saw a sign that read "Cortona." According to the tour bus schedule given at the beginning of this journey, it was market day. As the bus came to a halt, Elizabeth rose from her seat with all the grace of a lumbering Buffalo, she emerged in the aisle but faced her seats and the cute little people occupying them. Waving her hand forward she beckoned her young son Cameron, and her newly adopted niece Aurora to follow her off the bus.

It was slightly misty out and the sky leaked a slow drizzle of precipitation onto the growing crowd. The bus' tour guide, Harvey was swallowed up by the traffic, but she could see the giant sunflower he was carrying above his head, for all to see.

Holding onto her children's hands she guided them through the busy street, and took them over to visit the venders. The market was loud and the scene was almost frantic in a certain sense, as vendors seemed happy to sell their wares. Live foul squawked with all their might 'in protest,' Elizabeth thought 'at having to be someone's dinner.' "Can't say I blame them," she said to no one in particular. It was amazing to experience such a clash of civilizations. While on the one hand, people seemed to be aware that they were living in the 21st century, by showing off their fancy Italian sports cars, no one was in anyway stressed with the hustle of having to be somewhere or moving with an actual purpose in mind. The people of this town really knew how to enjoy themselves and embrace the little things. For the first time, in her 3 day journey Elizabeth was beginning to enjoy the new culture around her.

Elizabeth, Cameron and Aurora stopped in front of a grape vender. She looked to the children and said, "Would you two like some grapes?" Both children provided a nod that indicated yes, and with that two bunches of grapes were purchased on their behalf.

As the children were carefully eating their grapes, Elizabeth spotted the most interesting person she'd ever seen upon first glance. It was a tall, glamourous honey blonde, wearing a dazzling hat that with all the latest fashion trends should have faded with time. This look worked for her though, she'd give her that. This spectacular woman with movie star good looks, was currently clutching a baby duckling and sweetly caressing it with her face, it was both odd and sweet… and dare she say, 'strangely endearing.'

As Elizabeth came around a corner, she stopped in front of an advertisement for local properties that were for sale. Most of them didn't do anything for her, but there was one, that read: "Il Mio Vento." It was at that point that the woman she had been admiring before came up behind her and started explaining all the virtues that the quaint little villa had to offer. The best among them being what the name of the property actually meant, "It means My Wind."

'How ironic,' Elizabeth thought. I just can't escape thoughts of him no matter what the distance is. Was it any wonder why Robin had to move all the way to Paris in order to get clear of her emotions for _him_? She could certainly empathize with her on this subject. It was clear that she was staring off as this woman was still talking to her…'How incredibly rude am I being,' she chastised as she brought herself back to the conversation.

"Are you planning on buying Il Mio Vento," asked the enigmatic blonde?

"No," said Elizabeth with a slight lilt, "That would probably be a big mistake."

"Ah, yes, a spectacular error, I'm sure," the woman said in an unbelieving manner that only meant to convey sarcasm, as she slowly yet demurely strode off.

'How strange,' Liz thought. 'How did my life get to this point?' She wondered. "Cam and Rora, we better get back to the bus. We don't want to get left behind." Taking the children's hands she walked them to the bus and got resituated, never noticing the familiar face following her every move, as he took in her tired appearance.

After about 20 more minutes of waiting for everyone to get back, the bus started on its journey south. It was just a few minutes outside of town when the bus made a sudden stop. With the tilt of her head in the aisle Elizabeth gazed out to look beyond windshield and spotted the culprits that caused the delay.

It was a flock of sheep blocking the road. Again Elizabeth marveled about the clash of civilizations. It was at that point in the journey that Elizabeth looked out of the window to her left and saw a sign on a property that read: "Il Mio Vento." Her eyebrows rose and she knew it was a sign. Grabbing the kids, and their belongings she asked the driver to let them off there. She got their luggage from the outside compartments of the bus and watched as it drove off with all the occupants staring at her in confusion and disbelief.

Elizabeth struggled toward the gate of the house with children and luggage in tow. She deposited the children inside and gathered their luggage one case at a time along with the extra baggage that she required for the kids.

Slowly she made her way into the house. The door was ajar, but the sign said they were taking visitors to see the house so she decided to peek her head in and say, "Hello," but her call went unanswered. Ushering the children in precariously and bringing her belongings inside she grabbed her purse and the kids' hands and moved forward through a wide hallway that led toward a back room. "Hello" Elizabeth called out unsure of herself, "Is anyone here?"

It was at that point, that an elderly woman who had been sitting in a small love seat facing the opposite corner of the room decided to stand up and make her way around toward them. She offered a warm smile, which Elizabeth immediately returned.

They were soon joined by what appeared to be the real estate agent, and a married couple who looked a tad bit snooty if truth be told. The real estate agent approached Elizabeth and said, "I am Signore Dellapenta, are you interested in a property? Sadly, it seems that this one is about to be sold."

"Oh," said Elizabeth, "That's okay, I just saw the ad in town and the villa sort of called to me."

"Voglio raddoppiare il prezzo della casa," the elderly woman stated to the Signore Dellapenta.

"Angelina wants to double the price of the house," said Signore Dellapenta.

"Why?" asked the female half of the married couple, "It didn't gain value in the last few minutes."

"Guarda tutte le persone interessate alla mia casa. Il prezzo dovrebbe aumentare."

"She feels that since so many people are interested in the house that it must be worth more," said Signore Dellapenta.

"How much more?" asked Elizabeth, "I have a certain amount readily available to me at the moment, but I can move more over."

"We'll pay it," said the other man eager to one up Elizabeth.

"Are you offering a counteroffer against us?" asked the the other woman.

"I guess I am," said Elizabeth. It was at this point that Cameron was begining to grow restless, and started tugging on Elizabeth's arm, "Cam, baby, please stop we'll be finished shortly."

The married couple started to squabble over the genuinne value of the house, and decided that they were going to walk away from the negotitians, "We'll look in a different province."

The woman walked up to Elizabeth and said, "You greedy Americans wreck everything."

Elizabeth looked at her apologetically and said, "Some us of are really sorry about that, but I'm not one of them."

The couple marched off with their noses in the air.

Elizabeth snickered to herself as she was reminded of the scene from _101 Dalmations_ where the character Pongo was observing that parisian dog with her nose in air.

"Is the price of the house really doubled?" asked Elizabeth.

Signore Dellapenta asked the question to Angelina, and she nodded her head in affirmative.

"That's fine. I'll have to move some funds over but I can swing it," Elizabeth said.

"But Signora, you have not even seen it," said Signore Dellapenta.

"At this point, it doesn't matter. I can't go back to New York," stated Elizabeth emphatically.

"No, ho bisogno di un segno," said Angelina.

"A sign, you need a sign," said Elizabeth in quiet desperation. It seemed that money was not the problem. The woman did not wish to part with her home. She could understand that. Her Gram had loved her home too. If she hadn't recently died she would still be in it, and things would be so different.

"I understand all about signs," Elizabeth said with a small smile.

"This Villa has been in her family for 300 years," said Signore Dellepenta.

"With that much history, I can understand her reluctance to let it go."

As Elizabeth turned to exit the house in defeat, with a disgruntled Cameron and easy going Aurora in tow, a wayward cat came around the corner and chased some of the birds that were in the house away. The birds kicked up some dust and everyone started to sneeze including the cat. It was at that point that Angelina stood up, and exclaimed "un segno, un segno."

"What's a sign, us sneezing or the cat chasing the birds?"

"Actually, the cat sneezing was the sign. It seems the house is yours Signora," said Signore Dellapenta. Then he went onto add, "By the way, I didn't get your name and we are going to need that for the paperwork."

"Oh right, I'm sorry, I'm Elizabeth Cerio and these are my children Aurora and Cameron."

"Interesting, you know that Aurora is name for the Roman Goddess of the Dawn," said Signore Dellepenta.

"Yes, I'm aquainted with Roman Mythology," answered Elizabeth.

"And doesn't she a-fit the part, with her golden hair. She's as beautiful as a goddess," the real estate agent complimented.

'He's good,' thought Elizabeth. Then she added, "I like to think so, but then again I'm biased."

And Signore Dellapenta laughed, "Aren't we all. We'll meet tomorrow at the office to fill out the paperwork. Where are you staying in town?"

Elizabeth lifted up her shoulders in a shrug as she hadn't given any thought about that.

Signore Dellapenta nodded in understanding and said, "Ride with me to town and we will get you a room at the local inn."

"Sure, that would be wonderful,"added Elizabeth who was eager to get her feet up.

Chapter 1.

Heart Broken Hospital

It had only been 2 weeks since the end of the Metro Court hostage crisis. A week and half prior, the beloved Dr. Alan Quartermaine had succommed to a severe myocardial infarction, brought on by injuries sustained during the hostage crisis. The staff had been meloncholy for the last week, but alas that was not what was effecting many of them so acutely on this Monday morning. Today, was a saddness of a different kind.

Epiphany Johnson, distinguished and well liked (not to mention well feared) Head Nurse, had the unfortunate task of informing the staff that one of the most beloved nurses in her unit was no longer employed with General Hospital. It was not something she wished impart on the staff, because in truth, she really adored Elizabeth Spencer as much as the next staff member. Nurse Spencer was known for both her skills as a practioner of care, but also known to offer compassion and sound advice to those around her. She would be profoundly missed.

 _Flashback three weeks prior._

" _Epiphany, I've come to a decision," declared an exasperated Elizabeth, at the end of her shift._

" _What is that, Elizabeth?" Epiphany wanted to know._

" _Can we speak privately... in your office?" Elizabeth asked._

 _Epiphany nodded her yes, already not liking where this was heading but agreeing to speak with her anyways. As they walked in, with Epiphany leading the way, Elizabeth slipped in and closed the door behind her. Piph, let out a sigh, as Elizabeth began to speak._

" _Look, I know you can't be happy with my performance as of late. I'm not content with it either. So much has happened in the past 5 months, well...year actually, and I can't continue on this way. I just can't..."_

" _What are you trying to say, Liz?"_

 _Liz pulled out her envelope, with Epiphany's name neatly enscribed on it. "I'm tendering my resignation, effective two weeks from now."_

 _Epiphany, gave a look of bewildermant, "What are you going to do as a means of income?"_

 _Liz, gave a sad grin, and ran her hands through her shiny brown locks, shaking her head side to side in exhaustion. "I recently met with both my Gram's and Steve's attorneys. I've found out quite a bit of information about my inheritance and other financial matters that I was unaware of. I'm going to be alright financially, at least for a while, providing that I make sound financial decisions."_

" _Well, if you're sure," said an embattled Epiphany._

" _Look, I need a favor, Piph. Word can't get out until after I've left."_

" _You're asking for a lot, Liz. We're going to have to fill your spot."_

" _Don't I know it. Perhaps, if I explain some of what is going on you would understand why this has to be done so covertly."_

" _Well, do tell. This, I've gotta hear."_

" _You know how I've taken on the role of being a single mother to Cam. I've always been prepared to do that, but now I've have my niece Aurora too."_

" _You could've let your sister Sarah take Aurora. You're under so much pressure as it is, Elizabeth. I mean she's a doctor. She can afford to take Aurora."_

" _That's true, but it would've gone against Steven's wishes for Aurora should anything have happened to him, which you well know that it did."_

 _Replying with the shake of her head Epiphany said, "Look, I know it was a terrible accident, but you don't"_

" _It wasn't an accident, Epiphany!" interrupted Elizabeth._

" _What do you mean it wasn't an accident? Your grandmother and brother were killed in a head on collision with an 18 wheeler."_

" _It was staged, and I have confirmation from not only my mortal enemy, but several government sources, as well as Luke Spencer, indicating that the accident was foul play. I spent three hours at the police station, yesterday."_

" _How is it that you have a mortal enemy? You're 26 years old, and terribly sweet?" asked Epiphany._

 _Elizabeth gave an enigmatic sad smile. "Two words...Lucky Spencer...It started with Lucky being kidnapped twice. Once by Faison and the Second time by Helena Cassadine, Nikolas' crazy grandmother."_

 _Epiphany, raised her eyebrows in an inticipation, waiting for Elizabeth to continue._

" _The abbreviated version is that, in the spring of 1999 there was a fire in an apartment above at a bike shop where Lucky was living. We thought Lucky had been killed in the fire, but he wasn't, he was kidnapped by Faison, and then Helena, who spent her time brainwashing him. He returned a year later, with the notion that I should be romantically involved with Nik, which was perposterous."_

 _Epiphany added, "Yeah, I just can't see you two together."_

" _Well neither could I, but Lucky wanted us together at the suggestion and manipulation of Helena. Anyway, as a test of loyalty, and a way for Nik to gain information on how to reverse Lucky's brainwashing, he was asked by Helena to kill me. So, I convinced him to help me fake my death, by poisoning."_

 _It was at this point that Epiphany had to do a double take. "Continue. This is better than I first thought. Disturbing, but better."_

 _Elizabeth, just shrugged shoulders and gave a jaded laugh, "We had help. Though, I'm not going to name sources, but there were those that hid me while I was 'dead.'"_

" _We were eventaully able to reverse most of the damage done by Helena, but not all of it. Helena, never forgave me for besting her. So now she's seen fit to attack my family at least I think that's why she's doing this."_

" _Okay, I can buy that, but why now? Why not just start with you?" Epiphany asked._

" _She wants me isolated. If she takes out my family, then in her mind I will have to rely on Lucky's, and well no offense to them, but they're inept. This is a war she's been waging against the Spencers for decades. She believes I'm pregnant with Lucky's baby. She's waiting until I have this baby to strike. She means to take the baby."_

" _What is she going to do with your baby? And what do you mean believes, this is Lucky's baby, isn't it Lucky's?"_

" _Who knows. Brainwash it. Kill it. With her the possibilities both grim and endless. As for the question of paternity, I never said the baby was Lucky's everyone just assumed that it was," answered Elizabeth._

" _So you mean to tell me that all this time, I've been operating under the assumption that this is Lucky's kid?"_

" _Yes, but no one ever bothered to ask me, and aside from the potential father's it was no one's business. I've talked to them both about the paternity results and I know where I stand with them."_

" _Oh, that's good. So...where do you stand and why is no one helping you? You would think that someone with Jason's resources would help you stay safe," Epiphany stated._

" _That's simple...Jason and Sam are working on reconstructing their relationship, and he's dedicated to fixing his mistakes with her last summer and the same for her. When I spoke to him about the paternity results back in October of last year, he said 'He knew what the results were, and thought it would be better if we took a step back from our friendship, so that he could focus on repairing their relationship.'"_

 _Epiphany simply shook her head in disbelief._

" _Piph, it's not like we planned this. He's a wonderful friend and I'm sure once he and Sam will figure out how to move forward in their relationship, he'll step up for this baby. I'm sure of it. You just don't know him like I do," stated Elizabeth (over-confidently.)_

" _Yeah, but in the meantime you could end up dead."_

" _That's why I'm getting out of dodge, for now, so-to-speak."_

" _How did Lucky react to the news that Jason's the father of this baby?"_

" _In a word: Poorly." At that Epiphany didn't say anything, so Elizabeth decided to elaborate._

" _Lucky, knows I was with someone the night of the blackout. He knows it's not Patrick, and he knows that the person I was with is the father of this baby. I didn't tell him who, because Lucky is a volitale, loose cannon. When I told him of my infidelity, and mentioned that he wasn't the father, he shoved me into the brick wall of the outside courtyard at Shadybrook. Do you remember how Lucky tried to frame Jason by planting drugs on him this last fall and shot at me? I can't take the chance of him trying to get revenge on Jason because of this baby."_

" _This is a regular three-ringed-circus, Liz. This stress must be killing you. I mean you've literally taken everyone else's feelings and needs into consideration, but who's looking out for you?" asked Epiphany, in anger. The more she heard the more absurd this got. Could the world not see this child had been through enough?_

" _At this point, it's better for everyone if I just look out for myself and the children. I refuse to be someone's obligation. I have the means to move forward and I will. I just have to do this discreetly, and I could really use your help."_

" _Well, alright, I mean I guess I could help. It's a good thing that we have a whole bunch of student nurses starting up soon."_

" _Oh, thank you, Piph," Liz said through tears._

End Flashback.

This would be hard day. Taking a deep breath, Epiphany Johnson started gathering the nursing staff and some of the doctors that loved Liz the most, and Liz loved in turn around the hub.

"If I could just get a moment of your time."

Emily, Patrick, a recovering Robin who just happened to be rolling by (she had been shot during the hostage crisis), Kelly, Lainey, and other ancillary staff gathered around to hear what their fearless, head nurse had to say.

"I know you're all wondering why I would have you gathered here. I wanted all of you to hear it from me first, that Nurse Elizabeth Spencer, is no longer employed here at General Hospital."

There were gasps and deep breaths from the surrounding staff, and Emily Quartermaine, Liz's best friend, could be heard uttering an unbelieving, "What? I can't believe this."

Epiphany responded, "Elizabeth tendered her resignation three weeks ago. She was only supposed to stay for two weeks, but with the hostage crisis along with the fact that we were low on staff stayed an extra week, much to her own detriment."

"I can't believe she would quit the hospital without so much as a word. I have to go find her. She's not thinking clearly," said Emily.

"She was quite lucid when she spoke to me Dr. Quartermainne. She left some of us some letters explaining her circumstances and what led her to this decision. She didn't do any of this lightly. Emily, there's a letter here for you."

Epiphany, extended the letter forward to Emily, and she took. Emily, could barely keep her tears in check. 'What had she missed?' Elizabeth had been stressed, but she was sure that once Liz realized she belonged with Lucky, things would get better. Liz was just being her typical stubborn self.

"Patrick, Robin, Lainey, and Kelly there's one for each of you too."

One by one, each took their letters, and went off privately to read what their cherished friend had to say.

Emily, went to the waiting area and began to read, what her very best friend had to say.

 _My Dearest Friend Emily,_

 _First, I would like to say is that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Emily. I'm sorry for failing you by not being here right now, as you are grieving. While I know this paltry letter is of little consolation, please know that you will never be far from my thoughts and prayers. Your friendship is truly a gift, and I'm aware of how completely undeserving I am to have had it in the first place. I know that my leaving right now is going to be particularly difficult, especially with the death of your dad and I'm broken-hearted at thought of abandoning you right now._

 _More than anyone, I owe you a complete explanation so here goes: As you're well aware, the deaths of both my Grams and brother Steven have been difficult for me to bare. As if that weren't enough, I've set about adopting my beautiful neice Aurora; one because I love her, and secondly and more importantly, it was what Steve wanted me to do. For some reason, he felt I was a better fit when it came to rearing his beloved little girl, than Sarah would be. Recently, I've learned from Helena directly, as well local and federal law enforcement that their deaths were orchastrated. I don't know if anyone has bothered to tell you, but Helena was also responsible for the release of Tom Baker. Em, please be safe. I spoke to Mac about getting you a protection detail, but the force is low on funds and Mac stated that they will make an effort to have more of police presence between GH and the docks. Please stay alert. If anything were to happen to you, my heart simply couldn't take it._

 _Helena, wants me to rely on Luke. I can't take that risk right now. First, because I just don't think that any of the Spencers can make me and the kids a priority. Secondly, and I know this may come as a shock because Lucky really hasn't said anything to anyone. I don't think he believed me when I told him that he isn't the father of my baby. I told Lucky back in early November and he hasn't said a word to anyone, of course they sent him to solitary recovery for attacking me. That's why he was sent there. Even though he's been given his job back, he's a loose cannon, Em. Be careful around him._

 _In case you're wondering (which I know you are) no, the father is NOT Patrick. I've never been with him, nor would I ever be with him. The father is someone I've always trusted, and will always love. I turned to him the night of the blackout after catching Lucky with Maxie for the third time in two days. My friend said he was, "aware of the results of the paternity test, but wanted to focus on rebuilding his relationship with his girlfriend." He's involved with someone else, and has asked me to take a step back from our friendship so that he can focus on fixing his relationship with his girlfriend. They weren't together at the time of the blackout, just taking a break. I know that when the time is right he will step up and do what's right for his child. He's just in a difficult place right now. I owe him so much, what kind of friend would I be to not honor his request?_

 _At some point, when I get to a safe place, I will let you know how I'm doing. I didn't tell all of you what has been going on before because there's been a lot going on for everyone. First, with Luke and Laura's wedding, and having to pretend that Lucky is normal for that farce of a relationship, and then there was Jason and Sam on the lamb, and Spencer's kidnapping. It didn't feel right to burden everyone when I've done so all year long with Lucky's situation. Just know that I love you, Em. Please don't forget that. You're never far from my thoughts. The kids and I are praying for you._

 _Love Always,_

 _Elizabeth_

Emily, was at a loss, with tears streaming down her face. She wasn't sure what to think, but more than anything she just wanted to find Elizabeth and give her friend a hug. She stood up slowly and walked to the locker room to put her letter away.

Emily, caught the beleagured expressions of both Kelly and Lainey who were shaking their heads in disbelief, tears streaming down their faces.

"I wish she would've said something, anything," said Lainey, "I mean I'm trained to spot problems. How could I not know that something of this magnitude was going on with her?"

The three women continued their conversation back to the hub without noticing some of the other people that had arrived to overhear part of the conversation that was going on.

"What you have to understand about Elizabeth is that she would never want to be a burden to anyone. If she wants something to stay private she will do her best make sure that it does. She spends most of her time protecting the feelings of others while ignoring her own. I just don't think she wants to be anyone's obligation, and to be honest, no one has really ever put her first," Emily said as she was wiping away more tears.

It was at this point that Emily looked up and noticed that her brother, Jason, was looking at her with concern.

"What's wrong? Why are you and everyone else so upset?" asked Jason.

"Eliz..." Emily started to answer but was cut off by Epiphany.

"In addition to losing your wonderful father Mr. Morgan, our best surgical nurse Ms. Spencer has decided to leave GH, because of all the danger that she and her children have been subjected to."

"What...what danger? You mean the hostage crisis? James Craig is on the run and I don't think he was after her to begin with." he questioned clearly caught unaware.

"You know what I find interesting, Mr. Morgan? Elizabeth put her career and herself on the line for you this last fall, and you haven't bothered to check on her given her condition." Epiphany said in a very pointed manner, hoping that Jason would take a hint.

Seeing that she had Jason's attention Epiphany continued,"I mean it wasn't enough that she helped you while you were on the run, but to be grabbed as roughly as she was by that awful D.A. Lansing, when she was trying to get your ungrateful girlfriend away. I don't know what you've done to deserve such loyalty. Poor girl, and then what happened this last weekend. Just awful."

"What do you mean grabbed by Lansing and what happened this weekend? What's going on with Elizabeth, Em?" as he guided his upset sister to the waiting area, and away from the upset nurse.

"This all started with Helena, Jase. Helena, is responsible for so much that has happened to Elizabeth this year. It seems in the last few weeks, that it has come to Elizabeth's attention that Helena caused the accident that killed Steve and Audrey."

"I had heard that they were in an accident, but Sam and I were on the run and looking for Spinelli that I didn't have time talk to Elizabeth about it," Jason said lowering his head and ticked his jaw. 'Some friend I've been.'

Epiphany piped up again, "What I mean is that while you were planning your getaway, with Sam from the hospital, D.A. Lansing grabbed Elizabeth from behind as she was exiting Sam's room when Elizabeth accidently discovered her. The force of the grab was strong that he left marks unintentionally along her neck. This is was about a week after a confrontation she had with Lucky, where he shoved her so hard into a brick wall that her back was left bruised for days. The next day Steve and Audrey were killed, on purpose by this Helena character."

"Yeah, she mentioned that with everying going on with all of us, that she didn't want to burden everyone. That's so Liz, too," Emily added. "By the way, in Elizabeth's letter to me that she left behind she mentioned that Tom Baker has been let out of prison. Helena arranged it."

"I'm placing you and Elizabeth under added protection," Emily just shook her head. She knew her brother too well to bother arguing. Before Emily turned to leave, Jason stopped her. Intending to further the conversation, and again was interrupted by Epiphany.

"It's a little late to be offering your protection now Mr. Morgan. Elizabeth had been planning her escape for weeks, but with the hostage crisis she decided to work an extra week, as a courtesy for the loss of some of some of the staff. I have a feeling that after what happened this weekend, it just solidified her reason flee all the more."

"What happened this weekend? I was out of town on business."

"It appears that while Elizabeth was finalizing her move, Tom Baker made his sick a attempt at first contact, and broke into her grandmother's house. He went up to Liz's bedroom, jackedoff on the bed, left her a red dress, and scribbled the phrase, 'Not a word' repeatedly all over the walls. Liz came to tell me about it early Saturday morning, so that I would know that she wouldn't be back here anytime soon."

"Oh my God, Liz didn't mention that in my note," said Emily disgusted and upset for her friend.

"This doesn't make any sense, I know that I've been busy, being on the run and then there was the hostage crisis, but why didn't Elizabeth come to me or Sonny, or go to Luke for that matter? She has to know that we would help her."

"Mrs. Spencer, did stop by to see Sonny about three weeks ago, Jason."

Emily and Jason, both turned their heads in surprise at Max's admission.

"Sonny's here to see Dr. Winters. Sonny said he didn't have time to talk to her then, and for her to come back.'"

"Did she...come back?" Jason asked.

"Yes, but he told her that was under no obligation to provide her any information and that we were of the mindset that she was supposed to be leaving the business alone where you were concerned," answered Max, "She did speak to me though. She seemed uneasy, but I just thought it was pregnancy hormones."

"What did she want?" Jason asked upset. 'How could I have missed this?' He thought upset with himself. 'Why didn't she come to him?'

"A couple of things. First, she wanted us to be aware that Tom Baker was let out of prison and she was wondering if we could look into getting protection arranged. I told her that we only handle protection for certain people," Max said with finality, only it was clear that Jason thought he should continue.

"She's my friend so this should've been addressed with me. I hope you didn't turn her away."

"Mr. Corinthos already had. She said that protection wasn't so much for her but she was concerned about Dr. Quatermaine, because he had stalked her and she wanted us to know that he'd been let out. Dr. Quartermaine was looking for Spencer in Russia, so we made arrangements for when she returned."

Emily, started to cry harder. Even when faced with her rapist's freedom Elizabeth didn't worry about herself she set out to try and help her, quietly. Poor Elizabeth. 'That was pretty cold of Sonny. I mean Elizabeth saved Jason last fall, you think he would help her.'

"What else did ask she about, Max?" Jason asked.

"She wanted to know where she could get a fake I.D. and passports?"

"What did you tell her, Max?"

Jason didn't look happy.

"I told her that I wasn't going to be able to help her with that, because she was the wife of a cop and that I would have to check with Mr. Corinthos anyway. I told Mr. Corinthos, but with the hostage crisis and all I don't think we ever followed up. I doubt he was going to do that anyways."

Jason turned to Emily, "What about Luke, couldn't she go to him?"

"She addressed that in her letter to me, she indicated that she didn't trust the Spencers to make her or the children a priority. Especially, after Lucky's behavior last fall."

"Why not, she's carrying Lucky's baby. He has to care a litt...," he stopped as Emily gave a sad shake of her head, indicating 'no.'

"Jase, according to her letter, and you're not going to believe this, but Elizabeth isn't carrying Lucky's baby."

"What!" said Jason in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"Well according to her letter, 'she said that she was with someone the night of the blackout after catching Lucky with Maxie,' but she didn't say who. All she would say is that the guy she was with told her he was 'aware of the paternity results, and wanted them to take a step back from their friendship, so he could focus on fixing his relationship with his girlfriend."

Jason looked pale, like he was about to swallow his tongue or throw up or mixture of both.

Emily continued, "She did say that she was certain that he would step up and become involved when the time was right. That he was such a good friend and good man that he wouldn't let his kid down. He just needed to fix things with his girlfriend and that she had to get out of the way and respect that. At least that's how I took her to mean it."

Jason just stood there in awe of all that this conversation brought to light. 'How did I get this so wrong?'

"Look Jase... I've got to go. I've got rounds that I've have to do, and then I've got to scrub in on a heart cath. Are you going to be alright?" Jason shook his head yes. "We'll catch up later, okay?" asked Emily.

Jason gave a small nod and Emily went on about her day. He started thinking back to that day back in October, and all the times that he'd seen Elizabeth since he was made aware that he wasn't the father...by Carly. 'Just what the hell had happened?'

Jason needed Spinelli...no scratch that. Jason needed Stan. Spinelli was already very fond of Sam. He needed someone objective.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own GH, Under the Tuscan Sun or any of the Characters!

Chapter 2 A New Place with an Old Taste

It took two days to get the paperwork figured out especially since she was using a new name, so Elizabeth and the kids had spent the previous day lounging at the small hotel they were staying at.

The office was not as cramped or as old looking as what she was thinking that it might be. Behind the desk sat a forthright but flirty redhead, with hair that sat in waves which descended past her shoulders.

"You're approved."

"Approved, just like that?" asked an astonished Elizabeth.

"It's a house, not a car. It's not like you can easily steal it. The funds for your villa will be transferred later tonight. Here's your keys."

"Wow, that was so much faster than I thought it was going to be," Liz said standing up very slowly and looking down at the keys that looked to be as ancient as the previous owner claimed the villa to be.

"That's Swiss banking for you. Wire transfers are amazing. It doesn't hurt that Signore Dellapenta likes you," the redhead insinuated again with a flirty tone.

Elizabeth extended her hand forward in a handshake to the Broker, and made her way to the other side of the room where Cameron and Aurora were playing with their toys, quietly. "Thank you for behaving you two," said Elizabeth, "And thank you too Signore Dellapenta. It meant a lot that you were able to help us find a hotel the other day …And for picking us up and bringing us here…and taking the three of us back to the villa," rambled Elizabeth with a nervous laugh.

The tender middle-aged Italian man, simply smiled and nodded before adding, "It was my pleasure, Signora Cerio."

"I have a few of questions about the area if you don't mind?" asked Liz as she sat carefully in the front passenger seat and stroked her swollen abdomen thoughtfully, before she ventured a look at the children sitting behind her and continued, "Would it be possible for you to point me in the direction of the nearest grocers market? I need to pick up cleaning supplies, some activities to keep the kids occupied, and food. Also, do you know any reputable contractors?"

"Well, there's a small market if you would like to stop now," said Signore Dellapenta while pointing to the market, "That way you won't have to arrange for a taxi later. As far as the contractor goes, I will have to look into a few and bring them out to your villa, so they can suggest changes and upgrades that you might need."

"Thank you, Signore Dellapenta."

Signore Dellepenta pulled up to a small market that was on the way out of town, back toward Elizabeth's villa. She was able to get her cleaning supplies, and enough food to last several days. There weren't a lot of activities for the kids, so she figured she would give them some small jobs to do with her around the house and hopefully they would get tuckered out by later that afternoon (so she could finally have a small mental breakdown and figure what to do with the rest of her life). As she was exiting the store she noticed a few of disposable phones and decided to purchase a couple. 'Ah, what the hell? At this point it couldn't hurt,' thought Elizabeth.

Once she was finished with loading her groceries, and other supplies, Elizabeth loaded herself and kids back into Signore Dellapenta's waiting vehicle. It took only four minutes for them to arrive at the villa. Signore Dellapenta helped Elizabeth get her groceries and luggage inside the villa and gave her the grand tour of what she purchased sight unseen.

After the tour of the house Elizabeth extended her hand with a twenty in it, "Please take this Signore Dellapenta, at least for the petrol. You've driven me everywhere around here the last two days and have been so kind to both of my children along with myself."

Signore Dellapenta shook his head no, "No, believe it or not, you've helped me a great deal, by buying this old home. Angelina had it on the market for a long time. I was afraid it might never be sold. How about once you're settled, you have me and my family over for dinner. That way you can make some friends in the area. We will bring something with us of course."

"Alright, if you're sure," Elizabeth said with smile.

"I will come by tomorrow with some contractors for you to interview. I have some people in mind. Is 8 del mattino, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded yes in affirmation, "Si', that's fine. We will see you in the morning then. Grazi!"

"Ciao, Signora Cerio, bambini's (children)."

Elizabeth looked at her children and in sad amusement, knelt down and hugged them, "Well, I guess we're home now. We have a lot to do you two. Let's get the groceries put away and we'll go from there."

"Okay, mommy!" cheered Cameron.

"Aunt Lizzie. Is this really our new home?" said Aurora.

"It certainly is," replied a smiling Liz. 'I have to keep smiling for them.'

Liz just smiled as they made their way over to the kitchen. Thankfully, the house had working electric and running water. That's about all that had in the way of resembling anything from the 20th and 21st centuries. 'Just what have I gotten myself into?' she started laughing quietly to herself (The kind of laughter that was meant to stave off tears).

Liz and the children took out some sponges and set about cleaning the kitchen down and the refrigerator as they put the groceries away. They decided to sing, mostly Disney songs; anything to pass the time. Elizabeth needed to reach out to the recent contact she'd made, but she wanted to get the kids tired enough to rest first. If she could help it the danger they were involuntarily facing was not going to touch her children beyond having to move. Of that she would make damn sure. Her train of thought was interrupted by a sweet little feminine voice.

"Aunt Lizzie, do you think my daddy and mommy can see me from heaven?" asked Aurora.

"Huh?" asked a startled Elizabeth.

"It's just that…we're so far away from where we used to live. How will they know where to find me in my dreams?"

Aurora was deep for a 4 & ½-year-old. Liz observed that Aurora was the kind of deep that only came from deep emotional loss, or of having been exposed to trauma of the acutest kind. Aurora had experienced both.

Elizabeth looked down at her darling niece and gave her a warm smile and pulled her in for a hug, "Rorabug, your mommy and daddy are tracking your heartbeat. That's where you carry them. They've never left your side. We just can't see them with human eyes. They know your heartbeat is special because it's little bit of each of their own, and that's how they know where you are. Does that make sense sweetheart?"

Aurora nodded her sweet little head 'yes.'

Explaining death was never easy, but Aurora had been through so much and having to uproot her made it all the worse. Steve had been briefly married to a woman named Julianna, but she passed away due to breast cancer. She chose to give birth to her child instead of opting for treatment since she was so far gone that it wouldn't have helped anyway. She held on just long enough to give birth to her sweet little Aurora. Her miracle princess. Hence the name. Julianna, had loved Disney and thought of her daughter as her own beautiful princess, so Aurora is what they called her. Liz liked the name because she was fond of Roman Mythology.

After the kitchen was adequately scrubbed down Elizabeth set about making sandwiches and cutting up fruit for her and the kids to eat. The three and a half of them sat around an old table that was left behind in the kitchen and talked about what fun things they would like to do in the coming months.

After lunch Liz took their plates over to the sink to be washed later. Her focus was on getting the kids down for a nap. It was barely 1:00 in the afternoon and she was already so tired, but pregnancy did have that effect on her.

Taking the kids to the bathroom that was on the second floor, she brought cleansing utensils to see where she stood with that. Thankfully, the bathroom was updated in the last century. She gave the toilet lid, seat, and handle a good scrub, and then set about cleaning the sink, while Aurora and Cameron observed.

"Okay, you two. Which one of you needs to potty the most?" Liz asked, although it was clear that since Cameron was doing the pee-pee dance he was going to be going first. Liz let out a chuckle. "Aurora, let's give Cam some privacy. Lift up the lid sweetie. Cameron, we're ladies and we don't want to sit in it."

Liz heard the tell-tale signs of flushing, lid slamming, and handwashing. "Aurora, baby doll, it's your turn."

"Okay, Aunt Lizzie, but I don't think I have to go."

"Try anyways," Liz said gently, "You're going to be taking your nap soon, and you don't want to have an accident, and get your clothes all smelly."

Aurora grinned and listened to her Aunt's request, and just like her Aunt Lizzie had said, the magic tinkling began. Aurora washed her hands but had nowhere to dry them, so she set about shaking them about.

"Here's a towel sweetheart."

"Okay, you two stay here. Let me go rummage through our luggage. I brought some sheets in a couple different sizes, in case we needed them before we left. Let me go get them, before you two lay down.

Twenty minutes later the kids were asleep. Elizabeth came out of what was supposed to be the master suite, of a 300 year-old villa, and set about charging her new disposable phone. After the phone was all set, up she dialed the number.

The phone rang, on the second ring, the person on the other end picked up.

"Devane," the voice answered in a cold, clipped tone.

"It's me."

"Are you settled?"

"I'm as settled as I'm going to get today. I do have a question. Is there a place in Tuscany to purchase a vehicle and have it brought to me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Give me a moment. Are you adjusting okay?"

"I guess so. It's like living in a whole different world."

"Just give it time. What province are you in?"

"I'm in the Arezzo Province."

"Looks like there's a couple of dealerships up in Florence. The place is only about an hour and half away, or just under."

"Thank you so much, Anna,"

"No, problem Kiddo. Are you ready to take down their number?"

Liz started to laugh, "I almost forgot. Pregnancy brain."

Anna gave Elizabeth the number to the dealership before Liz added, "I'll call you soon with an update."

"You know, I have it on good authority that you're absence from work has made those that love you incredibly upset."

"I knew some of my friends would be deeply affected, but I just can't focus on that right now. I will find a way to get in touch with everyone, I promise."

Elizabeth hung up the phone and took a seat at the top of the steps.

It was at this point the tears started to flow.

 _Flashback_

 _"_ _Alright you two we're only going to stop in at Grams old house for a moment. I left some papers behind and we're going to need them before we go back to the studio. You two sit here and play quietly for just a moment okay," Elizabeth said while locking the door behind them. She really didn't want to stop here but she desperately needed the papers._

 _"_ _Okay," Aurora and Cameron said in unison._

 _Liz made her way upstairs, carefully. As she turned into her old bedroom and flipped on the light switch she was caught completely off-guard by what greeted her. On her bed, lay a spaghetti strap dress, wilted once red rose petals were strewn about the room, candles at one point had been lit on the dresser, but had long since burned out. And it was clear from the stains on the dress and bed that whoever did this, had… ejaculated._

 _"_ _Oh my God," she whispered in terror._

 _The walls of her bedroom were littered with the phrase "Not a word!"_

 _It was a nightmare come to life, more specifically her nightmare come to life. He'd been here at one point lying in wait. Elizabeth, was shaking but managed to remember that she needed the folder with the paperwork for Aurora. She grabbed the folder, ran out of the room, dashed down the stairs, and corralled the kids out of the house._

 _She got the kids in the car, and asked them to buckle up the best they could. They weren't sticking around, seatbelt laws be damned. She drove to the police station, white knuckling it and trying her damnedest to keep the tears and bile at bay._

 _Walking into the station was the last thing she wanted to do. She knew they were of no help, but she couldn't help it. She needed them to know what happened._

 _Mac was just leaving his office as he looked up and noticed a distraught Elizabeth approaching. Mac, opened his door getting ready to go back in. "Kids go in and sit down. I will be just a moment."_

 _"_ _Mac is there another office nearby where we could speak?"_

 _"_ _Sure, Elizabeth," he said in his surely Australian accent. He escorted her to the office across the hall._

 _"_ _Ric isn't here right now so I'm sure he won't mind. What's on your mind?"_

 _"_ _Try more like who, Mac."_

 _"_ _Okay, Elizabeth, who is it that is occupying your mind?"_

 _"_ _Tom Baker that's 'who,'" she said with the roll of her eyes._

 _"_ _Did he make contact with you or threaten you?"_

 _"_ _No, but I'm fairly certain that he broke into my grandmother's house."_

 _"_ _Someone broke into your grandmother's house? We'll get a patrol car down there to seal off the scene. What makes you so sure it was, Baker?"_

 _"_ _You mean aside from the fact that he was let out of prison three weeks ago, and has an unnatural obsession for Emily and myself, oh I don't know, Mac let me see. Well there's the fact, that my room had rose petals thrown wildly about it, dozens of candles that were lit along the way, which doesn't point to Tom specifically, but does point to the fact that someone was looking to have what they considered a romantic and meaningful time. Then there was the burgundy red dress that the perpetrator left me on my bed. It was like the one I was raped in. If I recall, Tom Baker had a proclivity for red. At least, that's what he told me when I was 17 and he was behind bars. The man, if you can call him that, does have a thing for red. There was the fact that there was ejaculate on the dress, and from what I could tell, also on my bed, and last but not least there were the words scribbled all over my wall. It was the same phrase over and over again, 'Not a word!"_

 _"_ _Not a word," Mac said nonplused by the whole exchange, "What significance does that phrase have?" Mac asked, not necessarily believing Elizabeth's sleuth skills._

 _"_ _On its head it means nothing, Mac, but for Tom and I, the phrase 'Not a word' is significant because it was what Tom Baker kept uttering while he was violently raping me."_

 _"_ _Okay, we'll get someone right on that. Are you willing to go back down to the scene?"_

 _"_ _Hell, no! I'm not going back to that house. Not on your life, Mac. You can take my statement here."_

 _"_ _Cruz," Mac called over the speaker._

 _"_ _Yeah, Commissioner."_

 _"_ _Can you come down to Lansing's office? I need you to take a statement for Nurse Webber."_

 _"_ _Sure thing, Commissioner Scorpio."_

 _Cruz walked back and took down Elizabeth's statement._

 _"_ _Anything else we can do for you, Liz," Cruz said with attitude. He didn't like that Elizabeth had ended her relationship with Lucky. Still, he hadn't mentioned that he knew that she was with Jason the night of the blackout, and for that she was thankful._

 _"_ _No, Cruz."_

 _Cruz stepped out of the office and decided to head down to the scene._

 _Liz looked across the hall where the children had fallen asleep in their chairs._

 _"_ _Before you leave Mac, I need favor," Liz said._

 _"_ _You mean besides the one I'm doing for you by looking into this. You have some nerve after what Lucky did to Maxie."_

 _"_ _Excuse me? Mac, looking into crimes that have been committed is literally your job description and I'm a taxpayer. Also, what Lucky did to Maxie? How about what Maxie did to me."_

 _"_ _Maxie, had her heart sma…," Mac started to say but was interrupted by Liz._

 _"_ _Listen here, you arrogant ass. If you had bothered to look into this a little further than what your conniving bitch of a daughter told you, you'd realize that I'm the injured party here. I mean not only am I out a lousy husband, in Lucky, but your horrible daughter spread not only her legs with the promise of drugs to get my husband into bed with her, but also horrible lies that I was having some crazy affair with Patrick Drake. Which I wasn't, and Maxie knew it. That didn't stop her though, as she went about smearing my reputation, where I was working no less. As for being tossed aside, I told Lucky he should be with Maxie if he wanted to be with her. I've never told him to treat Maxie poorly. That's on Lucky. Now then, I have evidence that Maxie stole the drugs from the hospital, Mac. In return for not taking this to channel 2 news, how about you put me in touch with Anna Devane."_

 _"_ _Anna, why do you need to get in touch with her?" asked Mac, astonished at the lambasting he'd just received from the somewhat quiet Elizabeth Spencer._

 _"_ _The way I see it is this, I'm in real danger here. The Spencer's are ill-equipped to handle Helena, and I'm too pregnant and busy raising these children to get out of here on my own. I'm not covert savvy as of yet, but I seem to know all the people who know people who are. Devane's number, now!" yelled an exasperated Elizabeth._

 _"_ _Why should I? She's a busy woman."_

 _Liz grabbed Mac by his collar, and to be honest she was surprised that he let her, "How about this for a reason, Mac: If it weren't for me Robin would have bled out when Emily and Carly were operating on her during the hostage crisis. I had to clear the area of blood and stitch up the nicked artery so that Emily could do the cut down, and I had to argue with James Craig, while being held at gunpoint to do it. All the while, having my parental prowess judged by a maniac for simply wanting to help Emily save Robin. Now Robin is one of my closest friends and I don't want to guilt people into doing the right thing, but at this point I'm not above it," taking Mac by the elbow she dragged him to his office._

 _"_ _Mac, look at them! Look at them damn it!" said a pissed off Elizabeth as she pointed to her sleeping children, "They're all I have, and right now I'm pretty much all they have. What would you do for Robin, Maxie, and Georgie if a psychopath and her cohorts were out get you simply based on want of connection to the Spencer family and that in some warped way they feel slighted because you outwitted them simply because you didn't want to die?"_

 _Mac, didn't say anything._

 _Liz looked over at him, "Devane's number! Devane's number now or I go to Robin. I don't want to involve Robin but I will. She's been through enough, Mac. I don't want to involve her, because Helena's crazy, but I'm not above it if you don't cooperate."_

 _With that Mac opened his phone, and went to his contacts and got Anna Devane on the line._

 _"_ _Mac?"_

 _"_ _Anna, I need a favor."_

 _End Flashback_

Elizabeth dried her tears, and set about calling the nearest car dealership.

'Tomorrow would be better,' Elizabeth thought.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't ABC, General Hospital or Under the Tuscan Sun. I also don't own any of the characters therein.

3\. Chapter 3 Seeing Things through the Video Prism: Part 1.

"What do you have for me, Stan?" Jason had found just two days ago that Elizabeth had fled with her children in terror, and to top it off he had learned that there was a major miscommunication that had occurred regarding the paternity of their baby. He was absolutely beside himself with worry and frustration. 'When she came to me last October, I should've just let her talk. Why didn't I do that? Damn it…I took Carly at her word that she was certain of the results. I should've waited to hear the results from Elizabeth.'

Jason's thoughts were interrupted as Stan started to speak, "Sorry it took so long, but you gave me a lot of information to go through. By all accounts it appears that Helena and her people are responsible for both the deaths of Audrey Hardy and Steven Webber. They sustained severe internal trauma. Audrey died at the scene, and Steven expired during surgery at GH. The little girl Aurora, was in the back seat, and she had injuries that required surgery as well."

"Was Elizabeth working at the time that they were brought in?" asked Jason.

"Yeah, according to the video footage, Elizabeth just finished up a surgical assist with Patrick Drake. She had been at the hub for about two or three minutes when she was approached by state troopers, who pulled her to the side to tell her about her family."

"Bring up the footage, Stan. Does it have audio or are we just observing?" asked Jason.

"It does have audio, for quality control purposes, as a means of controlling HIPAA violators. We could get in real trouble with Medicare and the OIG if we're caught listening in. Apparently, the video has been digitized so that it can be accessed at any point. Lucky for us. Also, your dad had suspected that someone was stealing meds and was watching to see who the perpetrators were."

" Well that's no big surprise the perpetrators were Maxie Scorpio and Lucky Spencer," Jason said shaking his head at all the crap those two put Elizabeth through the last few months, "Better cover our tracks really well then Stan. I'll make it worth your while. Roll the footage."

Jason could make out video footage if it wasn't too grainy. Luckily, the hospital had state of the art equipment so Jason could make out the images just fine.

 _PCU Video Footage November 2_ _nd_ _2006 13:00 Nurses HUB 4_ _th_ _floor._

 _"_ _You did really well, Nurse Spencer." said a flirty Dr. Drake as they came around the corner and walked toward the nurse's station._

 _Jason noted that Elizabeth while always beautiful was moving slower as if she was tired or in pain. 'Must in be pain, Epiphany said that she had been pushed into a wall a few days before by Lucky. That bastard.' thought Jason as he focused his attention back on the computer screen in front of him and the conversation that was unfolding, 'Lucky would need to be dealt with.'_

 _"_ _Dr. Drake, I only handed you the tools and made sure the surgical field was clean." Elizabeth said in amusement as she shook her head and raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. The man was a hound dog, a dear friend, but an absolute hound dog._

 _"_ _Like I said, you're the best scrub nurse that we have with the most beautifully distracting pair of blue eyes. It's hard, even for a man of my caliber to concentrate during such delicate procedures." Patrick said with a big grin._

 _Liz smirked at him and shook her head before continuing, "You really believe me to be so vapid that if you flirt enough I will succumb to your will Dr. Drake, but I'm not a woman who will ever be swayed by your so-called 'charm.'"_

 _"_ _I'm crushed. What would it take to tempt you, I wonder?"_

Jason was not amused in the slightest. There was a very real part of him, almost possessive and definitely primal, that didn't like the way Patrick Drake attempted to flirt with Elizabeth. He knew it was unreasonable, because he had no claim over Elizabeth, but there was a part of him that couldn't shake what he felt for her no matter how much time passed. For her part, Elizabeth wasn't so much flirting back as she was just trying not to be rude to someone she considered a friend.

 _"_ _Pff…Dr. Drake, you don't have anything that I want! You couldn't tempt me if you were the last man on the planet, and before you go on about how I protest too much, I'm just going to say that I'm perfectly serious."_

 _"_ _Ouch! That stung. Well then do tell, what does Nurse Spencer want that I can't offer?" Patrick said with the sexiest grin he could muster._

 _"_ _Where do I begin and how much time do you have?"_

 _"_ _I have enough time, the list can't be that long because I'm the complete package," Patrick said wiggling his eyebrows in naughty suggestion._

 _"_ _What do I want? What do I want?" Liz asked with a laugh, "It's been a long time since anyone even bothered to ask that and really wanted to know…I guess…What I want is someone who's stable for my son and myself. I want someone I can see the wind with like we're almost flying, someone who makes me feel free. I want someone who sees me as 'his more than a friend'. Someone who doesn't have words for what he feels for me. Someone who hates soup, but will let me feed gallons of it to him for his own good anyway. I want someone who values the idea of going nowhere, and having it be somewhere for us. I want someone who will occasionally let me steer. Someone who has saved me as much as I've saved him. I want someone who knows about the light in Italy, and knows the meaning of red glass. Someone who taught me how to effectively use a baseball bat, but to never effectively play baseball. I want someone who will let me be his back up in case we get in a bar fight at Jake's just to blow off steam, simply because he taught me how to throw a punch. Someone who upon reflection, has always had my heart, and someone who I've slowly come to realize has become my first, last and always. You can't offer me any of that, and unfortunately… he can't either," Elizabeth said giving a sad laugh at her predicament._

 _"_ _So this person actually exists?" said Patrick understanding that Elizabeth actually had someone in mind and was talking about someone real._

 _"_ _Yeah, he does for someone else. Now he merely lives in my memories and occasionally haunts my dreams. He comes to me as a phantom of unrequited possibility from my youth." Elizabeth said with a half-smile._

Jason, who was sitting down at the computer leaned forward at this. A very real tear threatening to fall down his face. It was obvious that she'd been talking about him, and the conversations that they had over the years and some of the common memories they shared. He could see that like always she was smiling through her pain only this time he was the cause. It was obvious that she harbored real affection for him, real love. And if he were honest with himself he had always felt the same for her, but he'd always gone about showing it to her in the wrong way. He knew he wasn't good at emoting what he was thinking. When it came to her words often failed him. 'How could I have missed all this?'

"Okay here's where the state troopers approach her." Stan said noticing the state of Jason's distress, but not saying anything.

 _Elizabeth looked away from the chart that she had just started._

 _"_ _We're looking for Elizabeth Spencer, we were told she's on this floor."_

 _"_ _I'm Elizabeth Spencer. What can I do for you officers?" she said with a professional smile._

 _"_ _Ma'am can we speak to you over here?"_

 _"_ _Sure." Elizabeth said._

 _They directed Elizabeth to the waiting area and she knew she wasn't going to like what they were about to say._

 _"_ _Ma'am, are you related to an Audrey Hardy?"_

 _"_ _Yes, she's my grandmother. Oh my God, is she okay?"_

 _"_ _I'm sorry ma'am, she was involved in a MVA. From what we understand Mrs. Hardy was traveling in the car with a Steven Webber and a minor child and the vehicle was struck head on by semi-truck. I'm sorry to have to tell you but your grandmother expired at the scene."_

 _"_ _Oh my God," she whispered nearly out of breathe, "Oh my God…Wait what about my brother Steven? And my niece, Aurora? You said she was with them?"_

 _"_ _They're in route to GH, Ma'am. Your brother is arriving by Med Evac and should be here shortly, and your niece is traveling by ambulance. We were advised by our watch commander to inform Ms. Hardy's next of kin, which is why we're here now. Do you know where they were heading?"_

 _Liz swallowed hard, and wiped her tears away, "Yeah, they were heading to my brother's home in Rochester. He recently moved there and my niece was having a recital this week, and they invited my Grams to come and see her performance. My Grams doesn't do well on longer rides, so Steven offered to pick her up and have her stay with them for the remainder of the week. Can I go see to my family now?"_

 _"_ _We may need you to answer more questions."_

 _"_ _I'm not planning on leaving the hospital right now. So I'll be around. Thank you officers," she said through tears._

 _"_ _We're sorry for your loss ma'am."_

 _Elizabeth simply acknowledged the officers with a nod as they left. Standing up slowly, and straightening herself with ramrod posture._

Jason observed that Elizabeth was doing her best to put her game face on as she walked back to the nurse's hub.

 _"_ _Piph," I need the rest of the day off. A family emergency has come up, and I won't be able to finish my shift."_

 _"_ _Wait. You're going to have to sign out."_

 _"_ _Fine, I'll do it downstairs in the ER." Liz said turning towards the elevator. When the doors opened she didn't waste any time she immediately hopped on._

 _Patrick watched her go with concern. "What was that about?"_

 _"_ _If she had wanted us to know, she would've told us Dr. Drake. Don't you have a procedure note you need to finish? I could've sworn that was you." Said Epiphany._

 _End of Video Footage_

Stan laughed, "Well that certainly sounds like my mother."

"I assume you have footage from this date in the ER."

"I will shortly. It took a while for me to download all of this and I'll still have to speed it up to the correct times."

"Thanks Stan."

"No problem, Jason. My mom really loves Elizabeth. She's had many sleepless nights where Elizabeth is concerned. Funny thing is, Elizabeth is a lot like my mom. It's hard to get her to open up if she doesn't trust you. My mom had to beg Elizabeth to talk to her."

"Yeah, I could tell yesterday when she informed me of the things that were happening to Elizabeth."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but…well…never mind. It wouldn't be appropriate."

"Go ahead and ask. What's on your mind, Stan?"

"Well, what is Elizabeth to you? I mean I know that she's your friend, and she helped you get Sam out of the hospital and all. I know she's clever on her feet, but it just seems like…"

"Like…what, Stan? Go ahead and say it," said Jason.

"Well, when you look at Elizabeth, it's completely different than the way you look at Sam."

"And what way is that?"

"I don't know…If I didn't know you better I'd say the way that you look at Elizabeth as if you're in love with her, maybe that's not the right word but you seem mesmerized by her. Which is crazy I know, since you're all about Sam. It was just a crazy observation. That's all. "

"I've known Elizabeth a long time."

"Well yeah, it's clear she's a good friend of yours. It's just a look of tenderness that you give her that I haven't ever seen you give anyone else."

For his part Jason wasn't sure what to think of that statement. He'd been intimate with Elizabeth for one evening and that night had meant so much to him. He'd be lying if he said that he hadn't thought about being with her so many times over the years, and to get to be with her…several times that night really meant to everything to him. It would also be a lie to say that he hadn't thought about being with her again. There was nothing to compare it to. He'd just done what he'd always done when it came to Elizabeth, shove the possibilities away out of fear of rejection. He figured she would go back to Lucky, she always did.

When she first admitted that he that he might be the father of her baby, he'd been excited at the possibility. 'Then Carly had dashed that possibility with her declaration that he wasn't the father. Why had she done that?' thought Jason.

"Should be just a few more seconds and we can pull up what transpired in ER," said Stan.

Jason wasn't sure why he was pulling all this up. He supposed that he was trying to get a better understanding of what had transpired over the last few months that he didn't see or hear about. He'd given thought to the fact that perhaps this was a form of punishment for taking Carly at her word and not hearing Elizabeth out. The more he observed the less he liked.

"Okay, here she is exiting the elevator and walking to the nurses station in the ER. Looks like Liz is signing out."

 _ER Footage November 2, 2006 13:00 Triage_

 _"_ _Med Evac, ETA, five minutes," stated one of the nurses._

 _"_ _Paging Dr. Monica Quartermaine to the ER. Paging Dr. Monica Quatermaine to the ER."_

 _A minute later, Monica emerged from the elevator. "What do we have?"_

 _"_ _Med Evac flight in progress ETA 4 minutes, bringing in a male approximately 30 to 31 years of age, involved in MVA head on collision with semi-truck, intubated at the scene, and was unresponsive, BP is 92/30 and decreasing, with an O2 saturation that was holding steady 89% as of 6 minutes ago. Patient has abdominal distention and they suspect AAA with rupture and possible fractures to the 5_ _th_ _and 6_ _th_ _ribs as well as intercostal cartilage with possible pleural puncture to the left lung."_

 _"_ _Get two units of O Negative ready, call radiology for portable chest x-ray on standby, and get CT ready. Liz are you here to assist?" Monica said looking up._

 _Elizabeth shook her head no, and looked at Monica with tears in her eyes, "Monica, the man they're bringing in is my brother Steven. His daughter Aurora is being brought in by ambulance I don't think it would be wise or helpful to have me work on either one them right now," Elizabeth said shakenly while the staff worked around her._

 _Monica nodded her head in understanding, "I'll do whatever I can for him you know that."_

 _It was at this moment that the chopper landed and Monica went out to the landing pad to get the most current assessment of Steven's situation. The flight crew along with Monica started walking back in exchanging information and orders._

 _Elizabeth walked up to her brother, "Keep fighting, Steven! I'm here, Lizzie's here, Steven. Please keep fighting." Liz backed off knowing that they needed to work, all the while tears threatening to fall._

 _"_ _Do we have the two units of 0 negative? I need a blood gas and a chem. 7. Where's portable with that chest x-ray. I'm working blind here."_

 _"_ _They're on their way," said Epiphany as she came bustling in, "I heard you need a scrub nurse."_

 _"_ _Portable's here," said Elizabeth._

 _The X-ray tech took a set of anterior and posterior x-rays._

 _"_ _Are we still waiting on CT?" asked Monica._

 _"_ _He's has diminished breath sounds. Blood pressure is decreasing 69/27, 02 Saturation has decreased to 83%. Respiration is decreased to 11 breaths per minute." Said Epiphany._

 _"_ _Abdomen is firm, likely from AAA rupture. What about CT? We may not be able to wait on them," said Monica as she placed her hands on Steven's abdomen to assess the damage._

 _"_ _X-rays are back," Elizabeth said as she came running in and placed the film on the light board._

 _"_ _Looks like 4_ _th_ _, 5_ _th_ _, and 6_ _th_ _ribs on left side are broken. Also looks like the 4_ _th_ _rib has poked through the endocardial sac," Monica stated as she looked at the film._

 _"_ _CT's available." Said Elizabeth as she hung up the phone._

 _"_ _Let's get him moved there stat."_

 _Monica, Epiphany and Elizabeth wheeled Steven into CT."_

 _It took just a few minutes for the image to appear and they could see the Abdominal Aortic Rupture as clear as day._

 _"_ _He's hemorrhaging into his abdomen."_

 _"_ _Let's get him to surgery. Liz you'll have to wait outside"_

 _"_ _I know," as they started wheeling him out. "Hold on, Steven. Please keep fighting. Aurora will be waiting for you and so will I."_

 _Monica, Epiphany and other staff wheeled her brother off to surgery. Liz looked on in tears._

Jason watched as Elizabeth waited in the hallway before finally turning around, the heartbreak evident on her face.

 _As she turned around they wheeled Aurora through doors._

 _Her poor little body was covered in cuts and contusions. "Call for portable chest x-ray," Dr. Noah Drake said._

 _"_ _Liz, call for portable." Liz was in shock at the sight of her niece._

 _"_ _Here let me…the patient is her niece, Noah." said Bobbie._

 _Liz just watched as they assessed little Aurora. Liz took Aurora's hand and gave it a squeeze, Aurora simply looked at her with fright. "Come on sweetheart. It's Aunt Lizzie, you have to hold on. I won't leave you, Rora. I won't leave you."_

 _"_ _Portable's here."_

 _Liz stepped back so they could work, biting her lower lip furiously in nervousness._

 _"_ _Blood pressure is 85/44, respiration is getting critical at 10 breaths per minute, and O2 saturation is at 90%." Said Bobbie._

 _Elizabeth grimaced as she watch Rora struggled to breathe. "Does she need a chest tube or need to be intubated?"_

 _"_ _We don't have a lot of time to spare here. I need 2mg of Atropine and 1 mg of Succs administered intravenously. We need to prep for intubation before she crashes. Then we'll take her in for a chest tube, and try repair the damage. We need to move quickly," ordered Dr. Noah Drake._

 _The drugs were administered and Aurora was intubated quickly. As they finished intubating Aurora, the x-rays arrived._

 _Noah took one look and said, "Right, let's get her to the OR. Now! Looks like she may have a pericardial effusion. We'll know more once we get her into surgery. I need 2 units 0 Negative sent to 0R 2 stat."_

 _Bobbie went to make the call._

 _"_ _Liz, this is unorthodox, but I could really use you as my scrub nurse. No other nurses are available right now. Do you think you could tough it out?"_

 _Liz looked at Aurora, "Let's do this. She can't wait."_

 _Noah and Liz, wheeled Aurora into surgery._

 _End Video_

"Give me a minute to cue up the next set of footage. It appears that Aurora's pulled through the surgery at this point. This about an hour after Aurora's out of surgery. She's being wheeled from Recovery to her room."

 _Video Footage PICU November 2_ _nd_ _16:00_

 _Elizabeth stepped outside of her niece's room for a much need breath of air. She could admit at least to herself that she was weary._

"Poor Girl," said Stan.

 _Elizabeth had her head tilted backward against the wall as she leaned back, and placed an exhausted hand across her face to rid herself of the tension that had built up. She took a moment to breathe. As she brought her hand down, and tilted her head to the side she saw Monica and Emily walk down the hall toward her._

 _"_ _It's not good is it, Monica?"_

 _"_ _When I opened up Steven's thoracic cavity, we realized that he was hemorrhaging faster than we could get the blood recirculated back into his system. The force of the crash caused his descending aorta rupture into his abdomen, the pressure in turn caused the aorta to bifurcate. His injuries were just too severe to sustain life. I'm sorry Elizabeth, despite my best efforts I wasn't able to save your brother Steven."_

 _"_ _Monica…" Elizabeth took a second to compose herself before she continued, "I know you did the very best you could. This was out of your hands. I had a feeling in the E.R."_

 _"_ _Oh, Liz. I'm so sorry," said Emily, giving Elizabeth real big hug, "Is there anything that I can do?"_

 _"_ _Actually, yes there is something that you can do for me. I need you to stay with Aurora for about an hour or so. I have to run some errands and phone calls to make."_

Jason paused it there he knew had a lot of making up to do.

"Stan we need to find her. See if you can find out where she staying and who may have helped her. I'm going to look through some of these videos," said Jason.

"Sure thing, Jason!"

'I've got to find her. I have to make this right,' thought Jason with determination. He wanted all the facts so he was going to review as much as he could, before he went home this evening.


	4. Chapter 4

_I don't ABC, General Hospital or Under the Tuscan Sun, or Revenge. I also don't own any of the characters therein._

4.) Chapter 4 Seeing Things through the Video Prism: Part 2

"I've checked the outgoing flights from the Port Charles Airport and I have nothing on the manifesto for this last Saturday, using Elizabeth's name or the kids for that matter. I'm going to try JFK, and work my way out," said Stan.

"Thanks, Stan. I'm still reviewing footage." Jason said.

 _Video Footage PICU November 2_ _nd_ _18:00 – RM 304_

 _"_ _I'm back," said an exhausted Elizabeth as she walked in with Cameron hand in hand, "Thank you so much for watching Aurora, Emily."_

 _"_ _I'm happy to help. There's been no change. The nurse just did rounds and changed her IV bag."_

 _Elizabeth sat Cameron down on the small pullout. Children's rooms and units were different than the adults because the rooms had small couches in the room that converted to beds if need be. That was done purposefully, with the understanding that parents rarely left their children in these dire situations._

 _"_ _Are you two spending the night, Liz?"_

 _"_ _Yeah."_

 _"_ _Do you want me to take Cameron? Nik and I are going to be visiting Lucky later. I'm sure Lucky would like to see him." Said Emily._

 _"_ _That's very sweet of you, Em, but Lucky isn't in a good place right now and I don't want to expose Cameron to that,"Liz responded._

 _"_ _Well, if you're sure?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, Em. I'm sure. Go take care of whatever you have to. We're just going to stay here and tend to Aurora. I picked up dinner for us on the way back, and I packed enough clothes for the next few days. We'll be ok. Once Cameron is settled, I'm going to start making phone calls. Can you do a favor for me and not mention this to Lucky right now, Em?"_

 _"_ _Why? I'm sure he'd want to know."_

 _"_ _He's not in a proper state of mind, Em. Trust me. I saw him last night after my party. He's not in a good place. Dealing with him right now is more than I can take and I would call before you visit him, because his volatility during my visit last night caused him to be placed in solitary for a while."_

 _"_ _Wow. I hadn't heard about that, but I guess with all that's happened today, he would be the last person on your mind," knowing that Elizabeth wanted to change the subject Emily moved on to a different topic, "Have you spoken to Sarah, yet? What about your parents?"_

 _"_ _I called her three times, but I got no response. I'm going to try again in a little bit. Her hours are crazy. As for my parents, I had to run home and get Gram's address book. It has the number for the diplomatic attaché assigned to Doctors Without Borders. Since they're out in the field it will be harder to reach them. Last I heard, they were working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo."_

 _"_ _Are you sure you want me to leave? I feel like you shouldn't be alone right now."_

 _"_ _Your concern for me is heartwarming, but I'm not completely alone, I have Cameron and Aurora, and you had plans this evening."_

 _"_ _I don't want to leave. Will you promise to call me if you need anything, Liz? I mean it."_

 _"_ _I will Em… and Em, thank you," Liz said giving her best friend a heartfelt hug._

 _"_ _I love you, Liz! You're more than my best friend. You're my sister."_

 _"_ _You know I feel the same way." Liz said wiping her tears away._

 _With that Emily reluctantly left._

Jason's was overcome with emotion watching two of his favorite women be so kind to each other. He was glad that they had each other. Their friendship was nice to watch. It was so different compared to the people he had to deal with daily. Jason was thankful that in those moments Elizabeth at least had, Emily. Jason watched as the events of that evening began to unfold before him.

 _"_ _Cam, baby, let's go wash our hands and then I will get your food set up for you to eat. Come on, Mommy will help you!"_

 _"_ _We gots to sing happy birthday 2 times, right Mommy? That's how long we're posed to wash our hands."_

 _"_ _That sure is pumpkin. You're so smart."_

Jason could hear their conversation that was taking place in adjoining bathroom, and smiled. The mother son duo (trio if you counted their unborn child) emerged from the bathroom and Elizabeth set about getting Cameron's food set up on the tray that was in the room. Aurora couldn't use it yet, since she was being fed via peg tube, so Elizabeth made good use of it to avoid a mess. At least until Aurora was conscious.

 _"_ _Mommy, how come Cousin Rora's in the hospital?"_

 _"_ _Cameron, Aurora was in a really bad car accident this morning, and we're staying here to take care of her because we love her so much."_

 _"_ _Oh," Cameron said as he took in that statement before continuing, "Why can't Doctor Uncle Steve take care of her?"_

 _"_ _Well you see Cameron, Uncle Steve was in the accident too, and he isn't able to care for Aurora, so we have to. Does that make sense?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, I guess so," Cameron said as he took a bite._

 _"_ _Good. How's your grilled cheese?"_

 _"_ _Yummy."_

 _Liz gave a small smile to her boy, "I'm so happy you're enjoying it. Try taking smaller bites, bud," Liz said offering the boy a small smile._

Jason knew that Elizabeth was a very caring mother, but watching her mothering in action warmed his heart. It wasn't often that he got to see this side of her, and he couldn't look away. Especially, now that he knew she was carrying his child.

 _"_ _Are you finished?"_

 _"_ _Yes, it was soooo gooood!" said the little boy._

 _"_ _A child after my own heart. Would you like your dessert now?"_

 _"_ _Yes, please!"_

 _"_ _Okay, let me see here," Liz said as he dug through the bag from Kelly's, "Aha! One super big cookie, for my little cookie monster."_

 _"_ _Wow. I can willy eat all of it?"_

 _"_ _You sure can, bud. Today is a special day."_

 _Cameron set about eating his cookie in silence._

 _"_ _When you're finished eating, why don't you color from the coloring book here? I'm sure Aurora would like a nice picture from you when she wakes up."_

 _"_ _Okay, Mommy," Cameron said as he took a giant gulp of his milk._

 _"_ _Slow down, bud. That milk isn't going anywhere," Liz said as she tried not giggle at her son. He was the only one bringing her any levity this evening, "Cameron, mommy needs to make a phone call. I'm just going to step right outside this door. The door will be cracked open if you need me ok. Whatever you do, you need to let Aurora rest, so please don't go near her bed. I'll be watching from the window, Okay."_

 _"_ _Yes, Mommy!" said Cameron as he offered her a thumbs up._

 _"_ _Thanks buddy."_

 _Elizabeth pulled her hair up into a messy bun, and set about calling her sister again from the hallway._

Jason, was watching Cameron color and Aurora rest. A wave of protectiveness came over Jason as he watched the two innocent children that were being effected by the violence playing out around them. Jason, hadn't met little Aurora. He'd seen her with Elizabeth and Cameron in passing, and had wanted to ask Elizabeth about the young girl, but had never gotten around to it. 'Yet another failure on my part.' Jason thought.

Despite her injuries, Jason could tell that Aurora was a lovely little girl. It was an awful shame that such a sweet little person was hurt so badly, and on purpose no less. 'Helena was definitely going to have to pay. Going after children was repugnant,' thought Jason.

It had been several minutes since Elizabeth had stepped out of the room, though from the angle of the camera he could vaguely see her talking to someone rather animatedly in the hallway.

Jason decided to pull up footage from the hallway during this time frame. It took a few minutes but he was able to pull the footage up to the time Elizabeth stepped into the hallway. Thanks to Stan's help.

 _Video Footage PICU November 2_ _nd_ _18:42 Hallway_

 _Liz dialed Sarah's number, "Sarah, its Liz. When you get this message call me. It's important please call me back."_

Jason watched as Liz ran her hand over her face in exhaustion. Then ran her hand down her belly, as it growled. Jason smiled a bittersweet smile. 'I wonder if she had even eaten that day. She wasn't eating while Cameron ate.' She gave her belly one last pat and gave a half smile.

 _"_ _Elizabeth, I heard what happened earlier and I wanted to come by and check on you," said Patrick as Liz looked up in his direction._

 _"_ _Thanks, Patrick," Liz said in exhaustion._

 _"_ _Is there anything I can do to help you?" asked Patrick as he swept Elizabeth into hug._

 _Elizabeth noticeably flinched, not in disgust, but in forgotten pain. Her back really hurt._

 _Liz answered, "No, Patrick. I don't think there's anything that anyone can do for me at this particular moment, but maybe tomorrow. When I know more. The morgue has to release Gram's body to the mortuary, and I haven't heard from them yet. As for Steve he just arrived at the morgue about an hour ago."_

It was at this point that Elizabeth turned around to face the glass giving Patrick a gruesome image of the back of her neck. Liz had her hair in low lying ponytail most of the day. So no one saw the bruising, but now that her hair was in a sloppy bun her neck was exposed for the world to see.

 _"_ _Holy hell, Elizabeth. What did he do to you?" Patrick said as he pointed at the back of her neck in a rather animated manner._

 _"_ _Huh, what are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked as she tried to play off her obvious injuries._

 _"_ _The horrible contusions on your neck. How did that happen?"_

 _"_ _I fell. You know what a klutz I am." Liz said hoping to avoid this conversation._

 _"_ _There's falling and then there's being pushed, Elizabeth. You've got to stay away from Lucky. He's not safe to be around."_

 _"_ _I know, and I won't be staying around Lucky anytime soon. I broke it off with him for good last night."_

 _"_ _Did you have someone look at your neck and back?"_

 _"_ _I saw Kelly. She treated me. I'm fine and so is my baby."_

 _"_ _You're pregnant, Liz?"_

 _"_ _Yeah."_

 _"_ _Why would Lucky push you? Is he insane? Does he want you to lose the baby?"_

 _"_ _I would say that more than likely he would, based on our conversation last night."_

 _"_ _That's crazy, why would he want that?"_

 _"_ _Not many people know this Patrick so please use discretion, but the reason Lucky doesn't care about this baby is because it's not HIS baby."_

 _"_ _But, you're so faithful. How could this happen?"_

 _"_ _Well it didn't happen overnight Patrick," Patrick looked at her with a sly grin, "Well okay, you have me there. The act itself did occur overnight but not the demise of my marriage. It took me seeing Lucky with Maxie on three different occasions for me to finally accept that my marriage was over. I turned to a friend, and this was the result," Elizabeth said as she rubbed her belly._

 _"_ _Does this so-called friend, whose name I bet begins with a 'J' know he's going to be a father and just what is he going to do about it?"_

 _"_ _What makes you think his name starts with the letter 'J'?"_

 _"_ _Oh, I don't know, perhaps, it's because you and Jason Morgan have a very close friendship. It's not just that. It's the way he looks at you and the way you look at him."_

 _"_ _Watch who you talk about this in front of, and yes, he said he was aware of the paternity results, but we're not going to be together, and what do you mean the way he looks at me?"_

 _"_ _You're not going to be together? Why not? And I bring up the way he looks at you, because he looks at you like a man in love."_

 _"_ _Patrick, do you remember that patient I called you back to town for this summer? The one we got arrested for operating on."_

 _"_ _Yes," answered Patrick._

 _"_ _Well, I'm glad your recollection serves you well, because there's your answer. He loves her. They're working on their relationship."_

 _"_ _Yeah, but you're carrying his child."_

 _"_ _And he proposed to me, before he even knew if the child was his, but it wasn't out of love."_

 _"_ _Sure it was!" said Patrick._

 _"_ _No, he did that out of obligation to the child, which is sweet and noble but he doesn't love me. It's just who he is. She makes him happy, and I love him enough not to tie him down to me out of some nostalgic sense of old fashion responsibility."_

 _"_ _Look, I don't want to make you upset, will you promise to call me if you need anything?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, I'll call you, Patrick."_

 _"_ _I'll bring breakfast by for you and Cameron in the morning."_

 _"_ _Thanks. Hey Patrick, before you go there's one thing you could do."_

 _"_ _What's that?"_

 _"_ _Keep your share of the gossip about my pregnancy and the paternity to a minimum. I don't care so much that people know, but I don't want to create a headache for Jason. He already has enough going on."  
"Will do. Goodnight, Liz." _

_"_ _Goodnight, Drake Jr.," said Liz as Patrick walked away._

Jason was in shock at this conversation. 'Was he that obvious when he looked at Elizabeth?' He worked hard to school his features into a block of ice. 'If my affection for Elizabeth is that obvious that everyone notices, what does it say about my affection for Sam?' he thought, 'Because no one seems to notice that.'

 _Liz walked back into the room and checked on Cameron. He was coloring just like he'd been asked to do._

 _"_ _Mommy's has to make some more phone calls. Are you okay buddy?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, mommy! I'm okay."_

 _"_ _I'll be right outside."_

 _Liz grabbed her Gram's address book and looked up the number for Doctor without Borders in the Congo. Liz dialed the number and walked back into the hallway. She waited while the phone rang. Finally after about five rings someone picked up._

 _(The phone conversation is one-sided because Jason is observing her making the phone call.)_

 _"_ _Hello. My name is Elizabeth Spencer. I'm trying to reach my parents who are both doctors that work with your organization."_

Jason waited for her to continue as it was clear that the person on the other end of the phone was speaking.

" _My parents are Jeff and Carolyn Webber. Are they available or are they out in the field?" asked Liz._

 _"_ _Oh, that's good. So they're on the premises. Can I speak to Jeff please? My name is Elizabeth," she said again as she rolled her eyes, and tried to crack her bruised neck to relieve the tension._

The line was quiet for a couple of minutes before she started talking again. Jason understood that what she was about to do was an unenviable task.

 _"_ _Hello, Dad?"_

 _"_ _It's me… Elizabeth…your youngest daughter," she said in disbelief._

" _No, I'm not calling you for money," Liz said in anger as ticked her jaw and was nearly grinding her teeth._

 _"_ _Would…Would…Would you please stop talking long enough for me to tell you why I'm calling. You need to sit down if you're not already." Liz said shaking her head in frustration and on the verge of tears as it was clear her dad was being short with her._

 _"_ _Can I continue now?" Liz said in sarcastic voice, "Good, I'm calling because earlier today Steve, Grams, and your granddaughter Aurora were driving to Rochester and they were involved in a head-on collision," Her dad interrupted her._

 _"_ _Aurora had a recital," Elizabeth continued, "Steven picked her up. Grams doesn't do long drives well." Elizabeth was interrupted again by her father as she rubbed her head in frustration._

Jason was growing frustrated as he watched her in the hallway. She pacing back and forth. Her father was ridiculous.

 _Liz spoke again, "I didn't drive Grams to Rochester because I had to work today. Listen, you need to let me finish… Grams and Steven didn't survive their injuries."_

 _"_ _No, I'm not working as a waitress anymore. I haven't been a waitress in two and half years. You would know this if you bothered to call. Is this really your response to finding out your mom and son have died?"_

 _"Huh...I'm a nurse, dad."_

 _"_ _Yes, for real," she said rolling her eyes._

 _"Getting back on topic,_ _If I hold the funeral at the end of the week do you think you could make it in time?"_

 _"_ _But Grams is your mom, and Steven is your son. Don't you think you should be here? You haven't even asked about Aurora," Elizabeth raised her voice in anger._

 _"_ _She's recovering in the PICU from a pericardial effusion related to the trauma she sustained from the MVA."_

 _"_ _That's all you have to say, dad? She's your granddaughter."_

 _"_ _So let me get this straight, you're honestly going to tell me that people you don't know, matter more to you than your own son, mom, and grandchild."_

 _"_ _I'll tell you what. Don't concern yourself with the funerals. I would prefer it if you don't show up. I mean you've never shown up in life. Why should you show up in death? You're absolutely worthless." Elizabeth ended the call in anger._

Jason had never witnessed anything like it. 'How could parents do that?' Jason thought. He watched as Elizabeth started to cry. She leaned her head against the wall in exhaustion.

Liz looked in the window and it appeared that she was just watching the kids.

 _"_ _Hey you!" said Dr. Kelly Lee, Elizabeth's obstetrician._

 _"_ _Hey," said a tired Liz._

 _"_ _I heard you were staying here tonight, and I wanted to come check your wounds before I head home. Let's go inside the room."_

Liz followed Kelly inside and shut the door, so she could have her wounds redressed.

Jason flipped back to the other camera and sped it up 20 minutes. To where he could observe Kelly treat Elizabeth's wound. A part of him felt it was a violation to see Elizabeth like this, but for his part he had to know, 'Just what the hell had Lucky done?"

 _"_ _Liz, lift your shirt up in the back so I clean those scratches and contusions."_

 _"_ _Okay, okay…hold your horses."_

 _"_ _You're the most stubborn patient I've ever seen."_

 _"_ _Believe it or not I can think of worse ones I've had in the past…You don't know the meaning of the word stubborn."_

 _Liz slowly lifted her shirt up to reveal a terribly bruised back, covered in tiny abrasions."_

 _"_ _Oh my God, I know the second day is always worse, but this is ridiculous. You bruise terribly, Elizabeth."_

 _"_ _It's not as painful as it looks," said Elizabeth._

As Kelly moved out of the frame Jason could see Elizabeth's injuries as he audibly sucked in his breath. From the angle of the camera Jason was able to see the bruises as well. He could tell that Elizabeth had made light of her injuries. 'I'm going to kill Lucky. How dare him! That sorry son of a bitch,' Jason thought in outrage as he stopped the video for the evening.

Jason let out an exasperated breath, "Stan, why don't we pick this up tomorrow. I have a lot to go over and plenty of people that I need to confront."

"Sure, I'm game. So listen before we go this is what I found. I'm not sure how she left the country, but I can see that she did some banking in Switzerland on Saturday afternoon. It seems that Elizabeth received quite the inheritance from her Grandmother. Steve left his assets to Aurora, but Elizabeth is acting as her guardian and is in charge of her finances until the little girl turns 22. Steven also left some stocks to Elizabeth from a tech company called NOLCORP. Those stocks made Elizabeth a very wealthy woman, possibly in the hundreds of millions. According to what I read from his will he felt bad because his parents never bothered to look after Elizabeth. This was his way of making up for that."

"Wow, well at least someone was finally doing right by her," Jason said.

"I'll see you here tomorrow then."

"Yeah, how about we meet up about 8:30 AM?" asked Jason.

"That's fine," Stan said as he left.

Jason was not happy about the conversation that he was about to have, but his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend Sam needed to know. He really cared about Sam, but if he were honest with himself, he hadn't been in love with Sam for a long time. Seeing her sleeping with Ric, certainly didn't help build affection for her. It was time to go home and end this. For the first time in months, Jason felt a genuine sense of relief. 'I have a lot of loose ends to tie up, before I bring Elizabeth and the children home,' he thought as he exited the building.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own ABC, General Hospital or Under the Tuscan Sun. I also don't own any of the characters therein.

Chapter 5.) Stormy Weather

After having a thorough breakdown earlier Elizabeth decided to call the car dealership that Anna DeVane had given her the phone number for. Unfortunately, they were unwilling to deliver her vehicle to her. She had even offered to pay extra, but they insisted she come to them, so it seemed like a bus trip to Florence was in order. She would try to make an adventure out of it for the kids. Tomorrow Signore Dellapenta was supposed to come by with a slew of contractors vying for her business. She supposed that since tomorrow she would be busy that on Friday she would take a day trip up to get her new _Range Rover_. It would be her first brand new car.

With a smile, Elizabeth's mind harkened back to that 1990s _Saturn_ commercial about the girl who was buying her first new car and all the _Saturn_ employees who clapped for the girl _,_ "This is Elizabeth, and this is her first new car," Elizabeth said out loud as she laughed at her own absurdity, remembering the commercial and replacing that forgotten girl's name with her own. She continued to laugh until she made a morbid correlation, "and all I had to do to be able to afford my new car was befriend Lucky, be raped, help Lucky get over his mother's rape by his father, become his girlfriend, grieve his 'death', watch him come back from the dead and reject me, turn away the guy that I actually love repeatedly, have a friend instructed to kill me, drink poison and fake my death, and make one hell of an enemy out of Helena Cassadine in the process. All so my husband could cheat on me with a child and shove me around, and if that wasn't enough Helena made sure to kill the only family members that ever gave a damn about Cameron or myself, making poor Aurora an orphan in the process, thus ensuring my inheritance and my ability to afford my first new car. God, I'm such a loser," Elizabeth said as she ran her hand over her over face.

Moving so far away from the friends that she had sure was isolating. She stood up slowly, determined not to be mired down with loneliness. 'I can do this,' she thought. 'It's not like I'm poor. I'm financially stable. No one dangerous knows where I am…at the moment. I have those things going for me.'

She made her way downstairs. She was shocked to discover a huge cellar that she thought could be converted to an actual basement. She knew exactly what she was going to turn that space into. Elizabeth was determined not to be a victim any longer. No longer would she sit on the sidelines and wait for the other shoe to drop. From now on she was going to be dropping the shoe on people, and the shoes that she would be dropping weren't going to be soft ballet slippers either. She was going to drop heavy work boots on the people that were planning to do her family harm.

As she walked around the basement, she noticed that she and the children had unusual roommates. It wasn't cockroaches or beetles that seemed to be the problem, but scorpions. She'd killed 5 of them while she walked around the basement. 'I will definitely ask Signore Dellapenta about that tomorrow,' Elizabeth thought. She wasn't squeamish by nature. She was after all the girl who put frogs in her grandfather's shoes, but there were the children to consider and she would be delivering her baby in a few months. She would be taking no chances.

Liz made her way back upstairs. It was time to wake the kids, and see what they wanted to do for dinner. She walked up the stairs and down the open corridor of her second story. She turned into what would be her bedroom once everything was complete and stared at her two beauties. She took a moment to observe and enjoy them. They were so beautiful. As she got closer, her heart was warmed by what she saw. The cousins were turned on their sides facing each other and holding hands. The covers had shifted slightly as both of them were wigglers.

With a smile on her face and a reluctance in her heart, Elizabeth gently began to wake them up, "Cameron, Aurora, it's time to wake up!" she received no response. Liz just giggled at that, 'Stubborn little stinkers,' she thought.

"Come on you two, before the tickle monster comes after you," Liz said playfully. Still she received no response.

"Okay, here goes! Tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle," she said as she used both her hands in a tickling motion to try and rouse the children from their slumber. She knew she was making some headway when Aurora started to crack a smile, followed by Cameron.

"No, no, not the tickle monster," said Aurora.

"Ah," said Cameron as he let out shriek of fake fright at the tickle monster that was fast approaching.

Liz started to laugh as she tickled away, "Muuhahaha. I'm the tickle monster, and I'm here to tickle Cameron and Aurora if they don't get up."

"We're up! We're up!" said Cameron, "Don't worry Aurora. I'll save you from the tickle monster."

"You'll never get me brave warrior," said Elizabeth in her most goofy monstrous voice, "Get up you two, or prepare to be tickled."

"We're up, Aunt Lizzie. We're up!"

"Good! Now that you two little hooligans are up, you can help me decide what you want to do for dinner. We have two frozen meals to choose from. We can put one in the oven now, and in an hour and half they'll be ready for us monsters to eat!"

"Okay, okay, I'll help. I'll help," Cameron laughed, "but I gots to go potty first."

"Well go before you have an accident," Elizabeth said with mirth.

Elizabeth sat down on the bed and took Aurora's hand into her own and asked, "How's my beautiful Rorabug doing? Did you sleep okay?"

"I'm okay, Aunt Lizzie. Dreamt about a butterfly and a bumble bee."

"You did? That seems like a nice dream to have. Sounds like Cam is finished with the bathroom." Liz and Aurora got up from bed and made their way into the hall so Aurora could use the restroom.

Cam came out and Aurora rushed in, and Liz laughed. Now that she thought about it she really needed to go too. She'd been so preoccupied with her 'woe is me' attitude that she forgot to handle the simplest of business.

When Elizabeth went in she made note that she'd definitely have to redo everything in the bathroom. 'Oh boy, this is going to be a huge undertaking,' she thought. She finished up washing her hands and exited.

As she walked downstairs she noticed the kids were playing at the bottom of the steps, just hopping back and forth. 'Oh to be young again,' Elizabeth thought, 'To have not a care in the world. I hope I can keep them out of everything, but something tells me not to get too attached to that sentiment.'

"Okay you two, what do we want to have for dinner, the vegetable lasagna or the penne Alfredo?"

"I want the Lasagna," said Aurora.

"Me too," Said Cam.

"Lasagna it is," Lis replied.

She preheated the oven and got the lasagna out of the freezer.

"This looks like it will be really good," said Liz.

After waiting a few minutes for the oven to pre-heat Elizabeth put the Lasagna in to bake. Then she set the timer on her phone.

"Hey you two. Let's get our luggage and bring it upstairs. You two can each pick a bedroom, and then we'll unpack, okay?" said Elizabeth.

"Yay. That sounds like fun. I'll get my bag," said Aurora.

"I'll get my bag too," said Cameron, "Hey Rora, I'll race you."

"No, Cameron! Wait no racing," said a startled Elizabeth. The children's excitement could be overwhelming sometimes and Elizabeth was worried about Aurora's past injuries. While Aurora appeared to have made a complete recovery, Elizabeth knew that Aurora would have to be cleared at her 6th month visit with a pediatric cardiologist before she could be allowed to participate in physical activity. That was still two months away.

"Aurora, remember your booboos sweetie. Your doctor has to say that it's alright to run," Aurora gave her Aunt a sad smile and slowly walked up the stairs with her light bag. Elizabeth had packed incredibly lightly, knowing that she just couldn't physically do everything. It wasn't like she couldn't afford to get them new clothes.

Elizabeth wasn't a frivolous person by nature, but she figured if she was going to get herself and more importantly the kids comfortable she would have to be willing to buy some much need furniture and clothes that may be on the more expensive side to cover everyone's needs.

The kids each picked their own rooms. Aurora was going to be across from Elizabeth's room which was actually on the other side of a rather large sitting/bonus room that existed upstairs. Cameron chose the room next Elizabeth's. It didn't take too long for the kids and Elizabeth to unpack. They didn't bring a lot of clothes.

Luckily, the former owner left her older furniture behind as part of the purchase of the house, so at least the kids and Elizabeth had a place to put the clothes they did bring.

The kids and Elizabeth were finishing up with putting clothes away in Elizabeth's room, when the timer went off for the food.

"Come on you two. Let's get dinner out of the oven," said Elizabeth.

"Yummy," said Cameron, "I can't wait."

"Me either, Cameron. It smells sooo good," said an excited Aurora in a delighted girlish squeal.

"It sure does," said Elizabeth.

Elizabeth and the kids made their way downstairs and into the small kitchen. Liz pulled out a drying rag and quickly pulled out the Lasagna out of the oven and placed it on the stove, turning off the oven in the process. "Ouch! That's smarts," Elizabeth said as she waived her burning fingers.

'I'm going to need to get kitchen mitts. Ah, hell. I'm going to need to kitchen everything. Who the hell am I kidding? I'm really going to need to get HOME everything since everything here is turn of the century," thought Elizabeth, 'I mean I love vintage as much as the next person, but some of this stuff is literally deteriorating before my very eyes.'

"You two sit at the table okay. That Lasagna is very hot so please don't go near the stove."

"Okay," the children said in unison.

"Why don't you two sing some songs while we wait?" Elizabeth said as the kids began to sing 'BINGO,' to pass the time.

A sound system was one thing that Elizabeth would be purchasing. Her home was going to be filled music, love, and maybe if she found the strength again laughter actual laughter, not feigned laughter. A stereo system was one more thing that Elizabeth was going to add to her list after their outing that they would have on Thursday to go pick up her new car.

"Just two more minutes kiddos and then we can eat."

They all waited quietly for the lasagna to cool. After a couple of minutes, Elizabeth dipped out everyone's plates and they said a small prayer of thankfulness.

When dinner was finished Elizabeth placed the dishes in the sink and scrubbed down the rickety old table. She went and got the kids their coloring books and crayons they had brought with them and set them up to color.

"Okay you two, how about you two color for a little while I wash these dishes and then we'll go upstairs and watch a movie that you two downloaded on your iPad. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good to me Aunt Lizzie. I love cuddle time," said Aurora.  
"Me too," Elizabeth said, "especially when I get to cuddle with my two favorite little hooligans."

A few minutes later Elizabeth dried everything off, "Okay you two, pick up your crayons and we'll head up."

After they went upstairs, they all got changed into their pajamas and started watching _Finding Nemo_. Elizabeth reveled in the joy on their young faces, and in those moments remembered her purpose. If they could be strong in spite of so much upheaval, then so could she. She pulled out one of the brushes she brought with her and set about brushing Aurora's long golden locks while they watched. Elizabeth was aware that she could never be a replacement for what Aurora lost but she could step up and be motherly on her behalf. Aurora was such a little blessing and so easy to love. The only thing hard about loving Aurora was making sure she got enough love to never feel like an outsider, because Elizabeth didn't see her that way, and considering how much her own family ostracized her growing up, Elizabeth was determined to make sure that Aurora would feel as included as Cameron was.

"That's such a good movie, you two. Did you both have fun?"

"Yeah, I like us all watching movies together like this," said Cameron.

"I'm glad that you do. Soon we'll get cable or a satellite or whatever they offer in this area and we'll watch movies all the time together. Would you two like that?" asked Elizabeth.

"I would," said an excited Aurora.

"Great. I'll see what I can do to make that happen," Liz said before continuing, "Let's go brush our teeth and get ready for bed. We have a whole bunch of people stopping by tomorrow to look at the house and see how they're going to fix it."

Liz was not looking forward to that, "Why don't you go in and use the potty and brush your teeth."

"Alright, Aunt Lizzie," Aurora said as she got of the bed and walked to the bathroom and shut the door.

"Hey Cameron. You've been so quiet the last couple of days little buddy. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, mommy. We've been to lots of places lately. Will Daddy Lucky be coming to live with us?"

"We've moved because we had to little buddy. As you get bigger I'll explain a bit more, but it was too hard for mommy to take care of you, Aurora, and the new baby living where we were living. Not everyone was being nice. When it comes to Daddy Lucky, he's been really sick for a long time, and he has a kind of sickness that makes him throw temper tantrums. So he's at a special hospital to help him heal from that, but Daddy Lucky won't be living with us anymore, and I'm sorry about that."

"Do they make him sit in the corner?" Cameron asked.

Liz shook her head yes, before answering, "Sometimes they make Daddy Lucky take a timeout for a whole day," Liz said while thinking, 'They make him take a timeout alright, in a strait jacket right where he belongs.'

"Good," said Cameron, "He sure did yell a lot. His mommy should've fixed that."

"I'm sorry you heard yelling, Cameron. That's mommy's fault, but I promise you from here on out that there won't be any more yelling, okay?"

"Okay, mommy," Cameron got up as Aurora came back in the room from using the potty and brushing her teeth, but before he left bedroom he looked back at Elizabeth and said, "Mommy, I love you more than the whole wide world."

"I love you, more than the world too little buddy," Elizabeth said as she was touched more than words could convey.

Cameron walked to the bathroom and completed his business, and Elizabeth took her turn.

"Okay, you two I'm going to go to the bathroom, and then check on the front door, and I'll be right back in to go to sleep okay."

As Elizabeth walked down the steps to check the lock, she noticed that while the door was shut and locked it was responding to all the force the bluster that was outside was creating. It sounded as though a huge storm was picking up.

She placed her hand on the door and yanked it really hard, and it didn't move which made her feel some relief. 'Well at least the archaic door was still holding up,' Liz thought with trepidation.

'That door is one of the first things I'm going to get rid of.'

Elizabeth made her way back upstairs and set her phone alarm for 7:15 am, and 7:20 am, 7:25 am, and so on in five minute increments until 8:00 am when Signore Dellapenta was supposed to arrive, because let's face it, pregnant or not she wasn't a morning person.

She got the children settled, and tried her best to fall asleep, but the wind was howling outside, and the lightning was striking not too far in the distance. She could tell that the children were bothered by what was happening outside.

"Hey you two, don't be scared. Don't you know that the sound of the thunder means that the angels are bowling in heaven? The angels like to play games too. So there's no reason to be frightened. Plus, I'm right here with you, and I promise I'm not going anywhere."

All of the sudden the wind picked up outside and forced the windows open. Elizabeth ran over and attempted to close the windows to her bedroom. At that moment, lightning flashed across the sky and landed on an old washer that had been placed on her property. The washer jolted and screeched in the throes of its death. She finally was able to close the window despite the wind's protest that her she and her children be directly involved with the climactic chaos that was raging outside.

'Man…was this Villa aptly named or what?' thought Liz. The villa was located on a small hill and all the wind seemed drawn to it as she made her way to the bed.

As she laid down on the bed next to Aurora, a flash of lightning illuminated the room, and there in all of its glory sat perched upon one of the bed posted was some type of spotted owl, who appeared to be seeking refuge in her room from the storm.

The children's faces and the owl's face all mirrored each other in shock from the storm.

"Is that an owl Aunt Lizzie?"

"It sure is. It's probably too hard for it to fly in the storm with the wind in the rain? What do you say you two, should we let it stay?"

"Yeah, this is so cool," said Cameron.

"It's alright wif me," said Aurora.

"Okay, the owl can stay, but just for tonight."

The lightning and the wind continued to rage, and it took forever for Elizabeth and the kids to finally fall asleep. They had an early day with Signore Dellapenta and would hopefully be up on time. It was already Thursday in Italy, 2:00 am to be exact. 'Today is going to be a long day,' thought Liz desperate for sleep as she finally fell out of it.

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Meanwhile… 8:00 PM the night before in Port Charles. A storm of different kind was playing out in Jason Morgan's Penthouse.

Jason had walked in about 30 minutes earlier, and looked for Sam. She hadn't arrived yet. He hoped the breakup wouldn't take long. While he waited for Sam he decided to pack a small bag. The penthouse was still in his name but based on the breakup last summer, they were both going to need their space especially after he went about ending it.

Sam had recently been approached by Amelia Joffe, a woman who produced daytime talk shows. Apparently, she'd seen Sam's heroics during the hostage crisis and had been impressed, so Amelia offered Sam a job as a host of show to be called _Everyday Heroes_. Jason just wanted her to be happy.

"Hey," said Sam as she walked in the door wearing stilettos and a skimpy black halter dress.

"Hey," Jason replied back, "How was your day?"

"Great. I met my makeup crew, and I got to pick out this season's wardrobe. It was awesome. I'm going to be a natural at interviewing people."

"I'm happy for you if you are," Jason said before continuing "Listen, we need to talk," said Jason.

"Based on your demeanor I'm not going to like this am I?"

She looked over toward the stairs and noticed Jason's travel bag.

"Where's Sonny sending you now? Is there a problem on the island? I could come with you, you know? Be your back up." Sam said suggestively as she pushed her breasts wantonly in Jason's face, while simultaneously trying to embrace him. 'That was Sam for you, always trying to use sex appeal to get her way.' The worst part was Jason had been so lonely in the past that this used to work.

"No, there's no problem with the island."

"Then what's the matter Jason? You're acting strange. What's this all about?"

"This is about me realizing that we're both trying too hard at this, and I can honestly say I'm not in love with you. I'm tired of wasting your time and mine forcing something that no longer exists for me."

"So all the last few months we've been working to get back to a good place you've been wasting time?"

"The issue is that while you regret being with Ric, I don't regret being with Elizabeth."

"How can you say that Jasin?" Sam said in most whiny voice.

"There's a part of me that has always been in love with her. I've just never openly admitted it. Last August opened my eyes to the love that I've harbored for her for almost 8 years now. We can't go on like this. I'm so sorry that I'm just realizing all of this now. I don't want to cause you pain, but I can't lie to you about my feelings where Elizabeth is concerned."

"I can't believe you Jasin. I was shot for you and can't have kids, and you're going to leave me for a woman who has two children, neither of which are yours?" Sam said in outrage.

"Actually, she's going to have three children, since she's adopted her Brother Steven's daughter Aurora. I think it says a great deal about Elizabeth's capacity to love. Now, I'm going to go for a few days, that way you have time to move without having me in your face. I will have Diane transfer money into your account so you can buy a nice condo or something," Jason said as he made his way over to the bag.

Jason chose not to reveal the truth of his paternity until he talked to Elizabeth and they had a plan in motion. He didn't trust all the players in this game yet, and that included Sam at this point.

"So we're not even going to talk about this any further? You're just walking away. Just like that?"

"We just did talk about it, Sam."

"Are you going to stay with Elizabeth? I don't think Lucky will like that. I mean she's having his baby after all. What if he were to find out?"

"I don't care what Lucky thinks. Let him find out. As far as Elizabeth and I are concerned we have a lot to work out."

"I can't believe that stupid bitch stole you from me. I mean you're just going to be with her. It's not even your kid she's having. What… Are you going to raise her other little boy with her too? And now you say she's got a niece she's raising. She's like the woman and the shoe. Poor saint, Elizabeth," Sam started ranting rather unattractively, "I can't believe you'd choose some frumpy nurse over a woman like me. Elizabeth can't even handle this lifestyle, Jason. Elizabeth will hear from me about what I think she is. Wait til' I get my hands on that bitch."

"Sam, Elizabeth hasn't ever set out to hurt you. There's no reason for you to attack her the way that you are, but I'm finally starting to see you for what you are. Oh by the way, don't ever call her a bitch again or threaten her in any way. You won't like the outcome if you do. I'm going to send guards to help you pack your belongings. We're moving up the timetable for you to move out. How does to tomorrow by noon sound?"

With that Jason grabbed his bag and left. It was better if he didn't reveal all that he knew about what Elizabeth was currently going through. There were too many people that he needed to deal with at the moment, and he wasn't willing to show all his cards just yet.

Sam took that opportunity to throw a lamp and a few picture frames at the door in anger and frustration.

Jason left his key with the guard on duty for the night, Cody.

"See to it that Sam is moved out of my penthouse by noon tomorrow, Cody. Have the locks changed by 12:30," Jason said authoritatively.

"Will do, boss," Cody said in reply.

Jason left the towers with no clear direction in sight. At first, he was going to go to Audrey's but he figured what was the point, plus it was probably still covered in crime scene tape. Finding Tom Baker was a top priority. He couldn't bring Elizabeth home from hiding with that despot waiting to harm her. The thought of him or anyone else touching Elizabeth in anger made his blood boil. There was his sister to consider too. He might try to go after her in the meantime and that was unacceptable as well. He considered going to Jakes, but that place was so obvious. Everyone in his immediate circle would think to check on him there. 'Where to go?' Jason thought.

Jason was riding near Elizabeth's old studio that was rented in her name. They'd used the studio for a hideout while he healed from a gunshot wound last November. 'That's where I'll go. I bet no one would think to look for me there. Especially, if I park my bike down by the coffee shop and walk there.'

Jason parked his bike at his spot at the coffee shop and walked to the studio. He used his old key to get in. Jason was surprised that she let him keep a key nearly eight years later. Sure she hadn't rented the studio the entire eight years, but that she would trust him with her key and not give it to someone else after all this time said a lot about Elizabeth's faith in him. Of course, if he thought about it there wasn't a time where Elizabeth hadn't come through for him. Especially, in the last year.

'I really messed this thing up. I mean why Elizabeth would confide in Carly in the first place about the paternity results is beyond me,' Jason thought as he walked into the studio, 'that's just it… she wouldn't which means Carly either lied to me or misunderstood what was being said to her. Either way I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Carly has interfered in my relationship with Elizabeth for the last time.'

Jason was surprised when he closed the studio door, set his bag down and flipped on the lights. The studio was clean but clearly lived in, and it appeared that it had been occupied by more than one person. In the middle of the floor sat a queen size blow up mattress box with a deflated mattress inside of it. Jason had hit the jackpot. It was as though people were living here. Jason made his way over to the table in front of the couch. He looked around and noticed there were toys in two separate boxes; one for a girl and one for a boy.

'Oh my god,' Jason thought, 'Elizabeth brought herself and the children here to hide. She really was frightened for them.'

As Jason looked on the table in front of him, he noticed a blue vase and leaning against it were a few of envelopes, all addressed to him. Two had postage on them with a _return to sender_ stamped on it from the postal service, and the other one was just his name. Jason started with the envelope with just his name on it.

'What's this? Jason thought as he grabbed a letter and began to open it.

He unfolded the letter and began to read the elegant penmanship.

 _Dearest Jason, …_


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own ABC, General Hospital or Under the Tuscan Sun. I also don't own any of the characters therein.

6.) Tearing Down the House

 _"_ _Dearest Jason,_

 _"_ _I imagine that if you're reading this letter Emily has told you that I've fled Port Charles due to threats that I've been facing from Helena. First, I must apologize for bringing this kind of danger upon our unborn child. I promise that I'm doing my best to stay safe and I will try to return as soon as the threats dissipate. I do have a plan, but right now that's all I'm willing to say. I'm sorry if my abrupt departure in any way causes you grief with Sam, as I'm sure that Emily probably asked you to help look into this. If my fleeing has caused you any problems I can honestly say that was not my intention. You've been such a good friend to me that I promise no matter what happens I will do my best to honor your request to keep my distance, and seeing how I've left town (at least by the time you're reading this) it shouldn't be too hard to keep my word, even if it's the last thing in the world that I want to do. I can't say that not having you in my life doesn't hurt or that I haven't felt the urge over the last few months to reach out and confide in you, but following your request is the least you deserve; so I've done it. I want nothing more than to see that your life is in a happy place."_

'What in the world? I can't believe…so this is how I made her feel. That explains why she looked so sad every time I saw her. I just thought she was upset over her breakup with Lucky,' Jason thought as he continued to read.

 _"_ _I'm sure you're curious about the other letters on my table that you sent back to me unopened. I don't know why you did that, but I can tell you that I was slightly hurt by the fact that you wouldn't hear me out. That's not like you, Jason. But then, I reminded myself that sending you a letter may have upset Sam or others in your life, so I gave up after the second letter was sent back. I figured if you'd actually wanted to know what was in it, you would have opened them or come and asked me about them when you were ready."_

Jason shook his head 'no.' 'I had no idea you sent me anything, Elizabeth. Someone was going to pay for sending the letters back before I could see them.'

 _"_ _So now that you may actually be having to read one my letters I will tell you what's in the other two. One of the letters, is the preliminary paperwork that I spoke with Diane about regarding possible future custody agreements. I know that the lawyer usually sends all of that, but there was some additional information regarding the disbursement of my inheritance and trust fund that I recently found out about with the murders of my Grams and my brother Steven. It turns out that I'm quite a wealthy woman. Who knew? The second letter is my will and testament. I sent this out after an anonymous letter I received stating that Helena took out my family and that I would soon be next. I assume that the letter was from Helena directly. She likes to play games."_

'Even after I've neglected her and all that she's been through she still tried to do the right thing by securing my rights. How could I let this get this out of hand? Emily was right. If Elizabeth didn't want you to know she was in trouble then she would make sure that you didn't. She never wanted to burden anyone,' thought Jason nearly in tears at this point.

 _"_ _In my will, I'm leaving full custody of our baby to you of course, along with his or her portion of their inheritance upon my death. I'm giving you and Sam the option to raise Cameron and Aurora with our baby, or to send them to live with Jasper Jacks. You're the best man that I know, so you were my obvious first choice. I know you're not fond of Jax, but he's a good man and would be a stable father if you don't want any involvement with attending to the needs of extra children that aren't yours. I know he's with Carly, but I think Jax would make Carly be good to the kids. I have faith in her ability to put aside her dislike for me, and not take it out on defenseless children. After all of the hurt you suffered with Michael, the option would be yours make. The truth is that I'm kind of out of family members. My sister Sarah wasn't interested in getting to know Cameron and Aurora, so I can't imagine sending the kids to live with her, and Lucky is a drug addict. Emily is too close to Nik, and right now I don't trust anyone in the Cassadine family with my children's safety."_

Jason was chewing the inside of his jaw at this point. Tears were streaming down his face. 'You'd want me to raise your children? I've let you down so much already. I'd do whatever you wanted Elizabeth. I just can't believe that you were this desperate and didn't say anything to anyone…Well that's not true. You went to Sonny and Max, and they didn't help you. I will get to the bottom of why that is.'

 _"_ _Jason, the threats against me are real. It is incredibly likely that Helena will take me out as soon as I give birth to our child. That's what I would do if I was an evil witch. I'll be at my most vulnerable then. No matter what happens you will be the executor of the will and handle all three children's inheritance. I just don't trust anyone else not to screw them over. I'm sorry to place this burden upon your shoulders, but I can't think of anyone else who would operate with the purest of intentions to help my innocent children, no matter how you feel about me now."_

'How I feel about you? There are no words for how I feel and have felt about you my dear sweet, brave Elizabeth. You deserve so much better than this.'

 _"_ _I will get in touch with Emily and Epiphany at some point, because they're the only ones who would want to know what I'm doing so you can let Emily know that. Just tell her in person and not by phone. I don't know who's listening in."_

'I want to know what you're doing, Elizabeth. Baby or not. I can't believe you feel this marginalized.' It was clear that he did a great deal of damage without meaning to. 'I've got to find her.'

 _"_ _I know that you'll do this anyway, but please keep an eye on Emily. She and Nik have started up their relationship again. My feeling is that if she were to get pregnant by Nik she'd be in similar danger to what I'm currently facing. I believe that Helena wants the Spencer/Cassadine feud to continue and she would like to have next generations brainwashed into doing her bidding and continue fighting this ridiculous and deadly feud. I can't confirm that this is her primary motivation, but it's the only reason that I can come up with at the moment. I would keep an extra eye on Carly and her kids for that matter. Carly may not consider herself a true Spencer, but Helena will, and her children are perfect for starting a proxy war. I tried to tell this to Sonny, but he wasn't inclined to meet with me. I just thought someone should be aware, so I spoke to Bobbie. Maybe Sonny will listen to her. I didn't go to Carly because she's not fond of me, and she seemed so preoccupied after all that happened with the Hostage Crisis."_

"That's my beautiful Elizabeth, putting everyone else first. Even people who treat her terribly. That will be one of the first things that ends. No matter what relationships I have to sever.

 _"_ _If the worst happens, and Helena follows through with her plans, then this is likely the last time that I will get to convey any message to you. Do you remember when you asked me to go away with you? I know that I supposedly don't have any regrets, but that is probably one of my biggest regrets along with walking out of your penthouse all those years ago. I never said anything because it wouldn't be fair to you. I don't regret anything about how Cameron came to be, but time wasted with you will haunt me until the day I die, which fortunately for me won't be long if Helena has her way. Having to spend an entire natural lifetime trapped with unrequited feelings for you would probably be too much to endure and still keep the remnants of my sanity intact anyway."_

'I can't believe she's joking about possibly being killed. It's like she's reconciled the fact that she's not going to make it. If anything ever happens to you Elizabeth, I'll stay strong for the kids, but I won't actually be alive,' Jason thought as the tears continued to stream down his face. He hadn't ever heard her like this.

 _"_ _In the meantime, I will take extra precautions with my safety, and with any luck you will have a wellborn baby come May. I will find a way to let you know when that happens. I know that this is one-sided and I have no expectation of it meaning anything more to you than being more than a friend, but I love you, Jason. I know that I've never been brave enough to admit this, and I really do have lousy timing, but you've always been my first, last, and always. Maybe if I had been brave where you were concerned things may have turned out differently. Oh well, there's no use in looking back now. If I'm lucky maybe this won't be good-bye but more like an: I'll see you later."_

 _Your More Than a Friend,_

 _Elizabeth Spencer_

Sleep didn't come easily for the mob enforcer that night. He couldn't get comfortable on the couch and he didn't feel like blowing up the mattress. He was inundated with thought after thought about what he needed to do and of course Elizabeth, 'After I meet up Stan in the morning, I'm going to have to confront Carly about the paternity of my baby….I wonder where Elizabeth is now? Is she scared or lonely?'

8:05 AM-Cortona, Italy.

A knock came from downstairs and Elizabeth reluctantly got out of bed mustering great strength considering her center of gravity was all over the place as the baby inside of her was a wiggler much like the children who stayed in her bed with her the evening before.

She slowly trudged her way around the room looking over at the window. Looking outside the window Elizabeth could see a curly haired man, admiring his visage in his Italian sports car's side mirror. 'Oh boy,' she thought, 'My first gigolo.'

She could hear the tapping coming from the door again, so Elizabeth made her way downstairs.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold on I'll be right there."

As she finished descending the last step, Elizabeth looked over in a mirror that was left by the previous owner, and saw herself for the first time since the storm the night before.

'Holy hell,' she thought. Her hair was all over the place. "Oh, well if my big baby belly and two small children don't scare off the gigolo, then my hair ought to."

She left the mirror to open the door.

"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting Signore Dellapenta."

"It's alright," Signore Dellapenta assured Elizabeth as he took in her appearance, and tried to politely stifle his laugh at seeing her curly trendles that were lying in a haphazard ponytail on her head, "I was beginning to worry that you didn't survive the storm."

"Oh we survived, but the washer outside was executed by means of electricity straight from the bolt."

Signore Dellapenta laughed at that, "Your first contractor is a-here. Do you want to meet him?"

"Sure. Let me just get my hair fixed quickly. No one could possibly take me seriously looking like this, and you can go get him so we can start as soon as I come back."

Signore Dellapenta shook his head at her and exited the house to get the first contractor.

Liz walked up the stairs and grabbed a headscarf. She went to restroom, and while she was in there quickly fixed her hair in a 1940s pinup style that didn't make her hair look so grotesque. "Aye yi yi, pregnancy and poorly timed storms can do ugly things to you," Liz said to herself.

Liz walked carefully and quietly down the stairs. Thankfully, the kids were still asleep. As she made her way to the foyer, she saw the man she'd come to call, at least in her own head, 'Mr. Gigolo.'

"Buongiorno, I'm Elizabeth Cerio, and you are?" Elizabeth said to the young and handsome contractor.

"Ah yes, I'm Giovanni de Marco."

Elizabeth smiled and tried her best to get through this interview process without vomiting. The first problem was that Elizabeth's was big on hygiene and Signore de Marco apparently wasn't. It didn't help that Elizabeth was pregnant that her sense of smell was off the charts. So since it was clear that Signore de Marco didn't bathe, and to top it off he'd doused himself with as much cheap cologne as an average bottle could possess, this was going to be a short interview. That and Signore de Marco seemed to be trying to win her over by wiggling his overgrown caterpillar eyebrows in a suggestive fashion. 'He's eliciting a response alright. I just don't think it's the one he was going for. Try not to vomit. Maybe if I vomit on him he'll leave and be just as repulsed as I am. When he leaves I'm going to have an intense scrub down session,' Liz thought to herself while trying to school her features into the most polite facial expression that she could muster.

Eventually, Signore de Marco left. He'd only made it to the first floor. He spoke more about Elizabeth's alleged good looks than he did about how he was going to fix the house. "Okay, so he's a no."

"He comes on a little strong," said Signore Dellapenta.

"In more ways than one," Liz replied while pinching her nose. "Who's next?" Liz asked as she walked to the kitchen and pulled out two Poptarts and set them on the table for the kids.

"Signore Louis Lucciano he's older so he probably won't hit on you," Signore Dellapenta replied while Liz pulled out two small water bottles and unscrewed the lids incase the kids came down while she was interview the new possible contractor. She didn't want them to have to wait if they were hungry.

"Would you like a bottle of water, Signore Dellapenta?"

"No thank you, Signora Cerio," Liz pulled out an apple for herself and opened a bottle of water and ate while they waited for Signore Lucciano to arrive.

After 10 minutes there was a meek knock on the door, and in walked to a man who looked like he'd been around since the fall of Rome. To say he was elderly would be putting it mildly. Elizabeth wasn't an ageist by nature, but she was a realist, and this man's glasses were so thick they could double as NASA quality telescopes. The poor man appeared to be taking in the scenery, but Liz was fairly certain that he couldn't actually see anything.

"Buongiorno, I'm Elizabeth Cerio," Liz said as she extended her hand in greeting.

"Buongiorno, Sono (I'm) Signore Lucciano," the older man said as he turned around and extended his hand in greeting to a set of pantry doorknobs.

"Ah, Signore Lucciano, I'm over here," Liz said as she tried to help get in a better position to shake the man's hand.

"What were you thinking of doing Signora Cerio?"

Elizabeth pointed to the wall that blocked off the living room area from the kitchen, "I would like to take this wall down, and open up the space. Do you think it's possible?"

Signore Lucciano, shook his head 'yes' and started describing some of the changes that he was going to implement on the first floor. What he was describing seemed legitimate until he went to leave the kitchen area and walked into the wall, and then asked the wall to pardon him.

As soon as Signore Lucciano was out of sight, Liz looked at Signore Dellapenta drew her right index finger across her neck and moved her head in a 'no' fashion to indicate that he needed to kill the idea of Signore Lucciano being hired by her. 'It's a shame,' thought Liz, 'he's a nice man but a liability nightmare where safety would be concerned.'

Liz and Signore Dellapenta waited another 20 minutes before the new contractor arrived to the third and hopefully last interview. This contractor brought his crew of three with him.

Liz greeted the man at the door. "Buongiorno, I'm Elizabeth Cerio."

"Buongiorno, Sono Nino (I'm Nino)," said the contractor.

Elizabeth directed him to the living room where Nino immediately started engaging with Signore Dellapenta with regard to getting the old chimney fixed. Nino stuck his head inside the large chimney and then came back out.

Nino looked at Elizabeth and then Signore Dellapenta and said, "Posso aggiustarlo. Infatti, l'ho risolto molti anni fa."

Elizabeth looked over at Signore Dellapenta who repeated what Nino said in English as they started walking outside, "He said he can fix it. In fact, he fixed it many years ago."

"Great," Elizabeth replied as she took Signore Dellapenta aside and asked, "What do you think of Nino?"

"He's good. I know his mother. If he doesn't do a good job then he'll have to answer to her, and he won't like that."

Liz turned around and smiled and said, "Okay."

"Okay," Nino said back with excitement.

Nino started to walk over to his truck, and introduced him to his crew, which consisted of three men.

"I'm Pawal, we're not Italian we're from Polonia."

"You're Polish," Elizabeth said back.

Elizabeth walked over to the next gentleman so she could make introductions, "Hello, I'm Elizabeth."

The man looked nonplussed, but shook her hand anyway, "Jerzy," the man said back.

'I guess that's his name thought Elizabeth,' as she repeated his name back to him with a smile, "Jerzy," before moving on to the next man.

The next man was about a decade older than her, with sandy, curly hair, and a shy smile, "I'm Elizabeth," she said as he introduced herself to him and gave him a handshake.

"Zbignew," he replied back and Elizabeth repeated his name back to him with an almost confused smile, 'Don't screw it up, Webber. That would be so embarrassing,' she thought.

The contractor and his builders piled back into their small truck, as Nino yelled out in broken in English, "We start Monday. Okay with you?"

"Si, it's okay with me!" Liz smiled.

She looked over at Signore Dellapenta and thanked him, as he left.

'Wow,' Liz thought to herself, 'I have a contractor and it's not even 10 am. I better go get those kids up. Maybe we could take the trip today?'

Liz walked into the house and set about getting the kids up and surprising them by taking her day trip a day early. She never noticed the man just down the hill perched on a neighboring wall listening in with an audio amplifying device and watching everything with a set of binoculars.

'Just what is going on here?' Francis thought as he watched her walk into the house.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own ABC, General Hospital or Under the Tuscan Sun. I also don't own any of the characters therein. I don't own Range Rover or Poptarts either. Basically, I'm poor with a lot of time on my hands.

I'm making Ric a much bigger Jerk in my fic. Just giving you a heads up.

7.) Moving Forward

"Wake up! Wake up!" Elizabeth said brightly to the two little stinkers hogging the bed.

Cameron sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Good-morning, Cameron. Why don't you go use the potty and wash your hands. I've got breakfast set up for you two downstairs."

"Okay Mommy!" Cameron said as he got off the bed and made his way to the restroom.

Elizabeth watched him walk out and shifted her focus to her sweet little niece.

"Aurora, it's time to wake up little lady."

Aurora turned over in her sleep promptly ignoring her Aunt Lizzie's call.

"You need to wake up or I'll start singing and tickling you and I know you don't want that."

Aurora continued to ignore Elizabeth as she started to laugh, "Get up Rorabug."

"I no wanna," said a tired Aurora.

"If you don't get up we can't go on our adventure today."

Aurora sat up quickly, "Where are we going, Aunt Lizzie?"

Elizabeth burst out laughing at this, "We're going to Florence, to pick up our new SUV, and guess what?"

"What?" inquired Aurora.

"It has a DVD player inside of it. What do you think about that?"

"That's sooooo awesome!" Aurora said in a high pitched squeal of delight.

"Hurry up, and use the potty. We have to take a bus to get there."

"Alright."

"There's breakfast waiting for you downstairs and a bottle of water."

"Yummy."

"Meet us downstairs, Aurora."

"Okay," Aurora replied back as she went to the restroom to handle her business.

Elizabeth made her way downstairs where she observed Cameron finishing up his first Poptart.

Elizabeth cut up some melon that they got the day before at the market, as Aurora ran excitedly in the room.

"Rora, baby sit down. You know you're not supposed to run yet. Now eat your tart and then we'll get cleaned up, and go on our adventure. Liz put a cut piece of melon in her mouth and walked over to her purse. She pulled out the bus guide that she picked up at the real estate agents office the day before. There would be a bus there at noon and the stop looked like it was about a block away. It was 20 after ten now, 'right,' Liz said to herself assuredly.

"Okay, Aurora when you finish up, I need you to go pick out an outfit; something short-sleeved, for our adventure and meet me at the bathroom."

"Cameron we'll pick out an outfit and I will give you a bath after your cousin okay?"

"Okay mommy," Cameron said as he through trash.

Cameron and Liz made their way upstairs to pick out his outfit, "Okay, bud when I call you bring your clothes and I will help you get cleaned up. It'll be just a few minutes."

"Aurora are you ready for your bath."

Elizabeth handed Aurora a washcloth with some kids soap on it and had Aurora set about washing herself. "Okay lay your head back."

Aurora did as she was told. "Aurora, let's get you dried off, and dressed. Liz helped Aurora get dressed quickly and wrapped the small girl's hair in a towel, 'I'm going to have to get a proper hair dryer. Everything I had would've needed an adapter and there really was no room in the luggage.

"Alright, just brush your teeth and when Cameron and I are finished getting ready, I'll brush your hair out and put some braids in it. In the meantime, go play in your room okay?"

"Okay, Aunt Lizzie."

"Cameron, it's your turn. Bring your clothes," Elizabeth said as she emptied the tub, and started a new bath for Cameron.

While Elizabeth waited, she brushed her teeth and set about brushing some of the knots out of her hair.

"Yikes," said Liz, as the brush got tangled in major knot.

"You gots to be careful, mommy. You need to get the anti-tangler that I saw on T.V."

At that comment Liz laughed at her son's pertinent observation, "I suppose you're right Cameron."

Cameron hopped in the tub and Liz repeated the process that she had done with Aurora.

"They're you go Cam. All dressed and so handsome too. Brush your teeth," Elizabeth said as she handed him his toothbrush.

Finally, Elizabeth got set up to use the bathroom.

"Okay, guys. It's 11:00 now, so I just need a few minutes to get cleaned up. You two can play up here in this living room okay? If you need me just knock on the door. It'll be unlocked."

"Alright" the kids said in unison as they set about playing.

Liz quickly got in the shower, scrubbed down and quickly washed her crazy hair. She dried off, got dressed, brushed her teeth, did her makeup, and brushed the rest of the knots out of her hair, "Oh well, I guess I'll just put my hair back in the pinup scarf. At least, I can feign looking sophisticated and the huge belly really adds to the look too. Nothing says Italian chic like a huge abdomen."

When Liz exited the bathroom, it was 11:20.

"Aurora, let me quickly brush and braid your hair."

"It's not gonna hurt is it?"

"If it's anything like mine it might. We'll start from the bottom."

After a few minutes, Aurora's hair was brushed and braided.

"Alright you two, let's go downstairs grab our travel bag and your booster seats and go on our adventure." Elizabeth had plenty of cash on her for the bus, and a cab to the dealership. As well as money for shopping. Liz was no fool. She didn't carry tons and tons on her. She didn't want to make herself a target. She also hid a couple of stashes at the house just in case. She wouldn't be paying cash for the vehicle of course. That had already been wired in to the dealership. She was literally signing her fake name and picking up her vehicle.

Hopefully the paperwork for her vehicle wouldn't take too long then she would go run some errands while in Florence. It was a bigger town so hopefully it would lend her more options. There was one thing besides the car that she wanted to take care of concerning the baby, and she hoped that she could accomplish it while in Florence.

Liz and the kids grabbed what they needed and walked out the old front door. Liz locked it up. Honestly, the key was the oldest thing she'd ever seen. "This key is bigger than the one from the _Secret Garden_. I'm going to look ridiculous walking around with this thing.' Liz thought to herself as chuckled at her own thoughts. They set about walking to the end of row and stopped. They waited for about 15 minutes, never noticing the familiar man observing them.

The bus pulled up and Elizabeth paid for herself and the children as they boarded the bus.

"This bus is going to Florence right?"

"Si, we go-a two a-times a day."

"Great," Elizabeth replied back as the bus started to drive towards their destination.

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Meanwhile back at Elizabeth's Villa, Francis had just a arrived and set about finding a way to get in.

It took all of five seconds for him to pry a window open. 'What in the world is Elizabeth doing living in a place like this?' Francis thought. He climbed through the living room window at the back of the villa and brought in a duffle bag with him. Francis decided to take a look around. The Villa wasn't terrible, but needed a lot of work to be restored. He could see the potential. He could also tell that she was living off the bare minimum. It was clear earlier that the men that came to visit her were contractors.

Francis had known Elizabeth since she was 18 years old, but rarely saw her these days. Jason and Elizabeth hadn't been a pseudo-thing in years. Although, he was aware that they remained friends much to everyone in their perspective circle's chagrin. 'Nope, Jason seemed to be all about Sam these days, and until recently Liz had been about Lucky.' Although he'd heard rumors about problems with both relationships. 'Ugh, Sam. What a pain in the ass to work for. She has to be the biggest screw up in the history of the world, even more so than Carly and that was saying something.'

Francis hadn't seen Lucky anywhere since they arrived in Italy so he assumed that he didn't come along. 'Good Riddance. Never liked him anyway,' Francis thought. He was supposed to be on a brief sabbatical to see his family and recharge, and get some business done with Maximus for Sonny. Seeing Elizabeth look so overwhelmed the other night called to him, and a wave of brotherly protectiveness washed over him. He wasn't going to leave until he knew she would be okay, and as it stood Elizabeth was not doing okay.

He'd been at the Island monitoring the Casino since late November for Sonny. Last he heard Elizabeth was helping Jason recover from a gunshot wound to his leg. Elizabeth was always a real friend to those around her.

It was clear that Elizabeth was pregnant, and taking care of two very young children all on her own and as he observed she clearly needed help.

He set about opening his duffle bag and pulling out the electronics. Yes, it was a little unscrupulous, but the fact remained that his little friend Elizabeth, while a great person was also good at lying by omission if she thought that's what was in other people's best interest. She rarely spoke about her needs and personal traumas. Well with the exceptions of maybe Jason and Emily, and he suspected that not even they knew everything. It was obvious to at least himself, that Elizabeth never really felt important.

He'd observed her over the years tie herself into knots trying to please Lucky, her grandmother, and her friends, to include his boss Jason. 'Where were they now?' Francis wondered.

He went to the far corner of the living room and set up a small camera almost undetectable to the naked eye but gave excellent coverage of the entire room. Then ran an audio test. Then he did the same thing in the kitchen. He decided he wouldn't install any camera's upstairs to preserve the family's privacy. Plus, he was fairly certain that Jason wouldn't be happy with him spying on his friend while she was changing, and of course Francis didn't need to see her this way. So there would be none of that.

Once Francis was done installing the camera's he set about calling Jason, but it went right to voicemail.

So he left a message: "Hey man, it's Francis. Look I'm on my sabbatical, but I came across something I think you may need to be aware of. If you could give a call back soon, it would be greatly appreciated. I'll keep my phone on me at all times."

Francis ended the call, packed his belongings and climbed back out the window he came in through, and firmly closed it shut.

He walked back down street and got into his vehicle and went to his hotel room. From there he could monitor Elizabeth's situation. Thankfully, the hotel was not too far up the road.

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Elizabeth and the children were sitting on the bus, they were about 20 minutes away from Florence and had just crossed the Amo River. According to the map that she had they would have to cross the river at least 2 more times. The road's construction was odd so say the least.

"What did you think about that river, Cam?" Elizabeth asked.

"It was cool," but Cameron really didn't say that with any real enthusiasm mostly because he was coloring.

Aurora thought it was all soooo cool that she was sleeping right through it as her little head was propped up on her Aunt Lizzie's side and slightly on her unborn baby cousin.

Elizabeth tried to readjust herself and get comfortable, but the bus seat had much to be desired: like adequate cushioning. She was excited. Picking up her _Range Rover_ should be a breeze. She had called, when she first got on the bus, and found out that her vehicle was ready and the money was had been wired from her account. 'Yep, Swiss banking was awesome,' Liz thought with a smile. She was worried that the dealership would be closed for riposa by time she got there, but because she had paid upfront, they assured her that they would stay open until she arrived.

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Jason had been up for a while. At first, he had searched around Elizabeth's studio for any indication on where Elizabeth had considered going. It was interesting that she'd landed on Saturday afternoon in Switzerland to do some banking. Switzerland was close to Italy, and if he was a betting man he would consider that as her first choice, but maybe she thought of an alternative place.

He looked through the kids toys to see what they were interested in. 'Looks like they left in a hurry.'

The Chuggin' Charley was left behind at the studio. It was probably hard to take if she was leaving on a commercial jet. Jason had purchased it as a way to say 'thank you' to Liz for saving his life. She was having a hard time finding one and he treasured their friendship even if they were keeping their distance, so it had been an easy choice to help her. It was one of the brief conversations they had had in recent months. 'If I had known what Lucky had done to her I wouldn't have encouraged her give Cam time with him,' Jason said as he shook his head retrospection. 'I will deal with him, but my timing has to be right. They just reinstated that jackass back to the force. PC has to have the dumbest police force in the country.'

He made his way over to Aurora's basket. The little girl had a few dolls and stuffed animals. On top of her toy box was a small photo album. It had pictures of Aurora and Steven. 'She's a beautiful little girl,' Jason thought. He turned the pages, and came across one with Elizabeth and Aurora. The two had little family resemblance other than they were both beautiful. Elizabeth of course had her beautiful chestnut colored tresses and dark blue eyes, while Aurora had honey colored locks and big brown almond shaped eyes. Aurora was in a ballet costume and was holding up a little trophy, while she and Elizabeth smiled happily at the camera. At the bottom of the picture was a label that said, "Aunt Lizzie and Rora." This picture brought a smile to his face.

It was around 7:30 am and Jason decided to change and go into the office. He needed to meet Stan. He walked in around 7:50 just as Stan was already working up.

"You're here early," Jason said

"Yeah, I didn't want to be late. Look I was talking to my mom over dinner last night, and she brought something to my attention that I wasn't aware of and I don't think you are either."

"What is it?"

"My mom said that when Elizabeth stopped by her home early Saturday Morning, like around 2 am that Mac was with her."

"Mac?"

"Yeah, he sat in the car with kids, who'd fallen asleep at that point."

"Why was Mac with her? I didn't realize they were close."

"They aren't. According to my mom. Your friend Elizabeth used guilt to get him to help her."

"Did she convey how she convinced him and what he was going to do to help her in return?"

"Yeah," said Stan, "She of course used Maxie against him. Stating that she knew Maxie stole the drugs at GH and gave them to Lucky, and she could prove it."

"Can she?…Prove it…I mean."

"I don't think so. I think Liz bluffed. She was desperate. She also used guilt about Robin's injury."

"What do you mean? She didn't shoot Robin."

"No, but she was instrumental in saving Robin."

"How so? I thought Carly and Emily saved Robin."

"They did with the help of Patrick. Your sister is very bright and will eventually make an amazing doctor, but she was trying to do a difficult procedure and lacked the experience and the proper setting to be operating. The fact is that when Emily did the cut-down, at least that's what my mom called it, on the artery Robin started to bleed out, because she may have cut down too far."

"What does this have to do with Elizabeth?"

"I heard this next part from Max. As Robin was bleeding out, Elizabeth stood up, and begged them to let them help, that she was a surgical nurse.

"I take it they let her."

"Not before she had her parental abilities questioned. Craig asked her why she would risk her baby. She told him that Robin was going to die if he didn't let her help. Eventually Max, Sam and Nik, along with the extra hostages in the room stood up and demanded that he let someone help Robin, so Craig let her."

"Well, I take it that Elizabeth made the difference."

Stan shook his head to indicate 'yes,' and then added, "Yeah, she cleared up the blood in the area and sewed up the artery, so your sister could continue. That's the main reason Robin's alive today."

Jason smiled, "I can't say that I'm surprised. Elizabeth is steady in a disaster and she's performed her share of medical procedures on yours truly. So how did Mac get her out?"

"Liz made him call Anna DaVane."

"Robin's mother."

"Clever, using guilt like that," Stan said.

"Well that explains a lot about how she got out of town when she couldn't rely on anyone else. Do me a favor Stan, and pull up footage at GH from November 11th of last year."

"Okay, give me a minute. What floor?"

"Third Floor. West wing about Midday."

"What am I looking for?" Stan asked.

"An interaction between Elizabeth and Ric. Sam's room was on this floor."

"Okay I got something of Elizabeth talking to the floor Nurse Joan Clarke. Mom likes her."

 _Video Footage 3_ _rd_ _Floor West Wing 12:36 PM_

 _"_ _I thought you were in the E.R. this afternoon and tonight?" asked the Floor Nurse._

 _Liz looked at her and said, "Change of plans."_

 _"_ _Good, because I'm shorthanded. We just admitted a new patient to 309. Can you check her patches and leads?"_

 _"_ _Sure." Liz said back looking as beautiful as ever but tired._

"Room 309 was Sam's room. Hey what's Ric doing there lingering outside?"

"Here comes Liz making her way back out. Looks like she's trying to keep it quiet that she knows where Sam is. What's Ric doing behind her?" asked Stan.

 _"_ _You weren't supposed to see that," Ric whispered as he forcefully grabbed Elizabeth from behind. One arm was lying across her torso, and the other hand was placed securely over her mouth, forcing her head to snap back roughly across his shoulder. He dragged her to a room across the hall._

 _All Elizabeth could do was yelp in response._

"From here it looks like he takes her into room 310. Give me a minute and we'll pull up that footage to see what he says."

As Jason watched, his eyes turned to murderous slits. 'Why didn't Elizabeth mention this? All she did was mention that she ran into him.' The truth was that Jason was sure he knew why. Liz had issues with being a burden and he was so focused on Sam that she wouldn't have wanted to detract from the mission to save Sam from Ric and herself.

"Okay, Jason. Room 310." Stan said has he started up the footage.

 _The yelping and squeals continued, as Ric continued to drag Elizabeth into another room._

 _"_ _Stop that, Liz." Ric said as he finally let go of her._

 _The force of his actions was not lost on her, and the fact that it triggered a rape memory left her uncomfortable._

 _"_ _What do you think you're doing Ric? Do you want me to lose this baby too?"_

 _"_ _Why are you helping Jason?"_

 _"_ _What are you talking about Ric? I left the E.R. like you told me to do so I would stay out of it. I had no idea that Sam was in that room?" Ric just looked at her unbelieving, "What you don't believe me, ask the Floor Nurse, Joan Clarke, and she'll tell you that she just sent me in there to check on the new patient."_

 _"_ _You don't need to help Jason, I don't know why you'd put yourself on the line for him?"_

 _"_ _He happens to be a very dear friend, Ric and you're railroading him as usual."_

 _"_ _He's a murderer." Ric said_

 _"_ _Alleged," Liz supplied, "And if it were true, which it's not, Jason would deserve a medal for all of the scum that he's allegedly gotten rid of that the PCPD's too chicken shit to take down."_

 _At this point, Ric was becoming frustrated, he grabbed Liz roughly by the arms, and shoved her back against the wall, while simultaneously putting the small tracer in her front pocket, "Watch yourself Elizabeth. You wouldn't want your son to be taken from you, and your little niece too. It would be awful to have them go into the foster system."_

 _"_ _Let me go, Ric."_

 _"_ _Wouldn't it be a shame if you took another fall down the steps and lost this baby too? Maybe I'll take a lesson from Faith."_

 _"_ _You're sick, Ric. Now let me go."_

 _"_ _Do you think that Jason would be there for you if you took a fall down the stairs?"_

 _"_ _I don't know. Our friendship isn't based on twisted expectations, Ric. I expect my friends to be just that, my friends. There was a time that I was foolish enough to believe that we were friends thank God that ship has passed."_

 _"_ _Maybe I'm using the wrong bait. I'm mean he saved you from Manny this last spring, and we both know what you were doing the night of the blackout."_

 _"_ _And what were you doing Ric? Oh that's right, Sam. You were with your wife's daughter. Lovely. Speaking about your wife does she know you tried to proposition me to be your backup spouse in case she doesn't make it? You're sick, Ric. You know nothing of loyalty. Now get off me before I scream. It would look bad for the D.A. to get caught harming innocent looking pregnant nurses."_

 _"_ _This isn't…" Ric was interrupted by his cell phone going off and having to answer it. "He's been spotted in the hospital."_

 _Ric looked back at Elizabeth as he walked toward the door and exited in pursuit of his biggest rival, "This isn't over Elizabeth."_

 _Liz waited until he left and took a big breath, "Just another day at General Hospital." Liz looked down and patted her flat tummy, "We won't let that jerk stop us will we baby? Dear God, don't let Jason get caught. Ric will kill him. Don't' worry baby, your daddy is smart he'll get out of this."_

Stan just stood watching with his mouth agape. Now he understood.

 _Liz straightened out her shirt and tensed when she touched her shoulder and whispered to herself once more, "Man, and that just healed too and now my jaw. Did he have to grab me so damn hard? What a prick. I don't get it. What is it about the men in this town and shoving me around? It's not like I even try to go toe to toe with them. Oh well, I better get back out there before I get a reprimand."_

Stan stopped the footage and looked over at Jason, "So does this mean you're going to be a dad?"

"Yeah. Yeah it does Stan, but I need a favor. I have to address a few people and I need you to keep quiet about this, okay?"

"No problem."

"Look, don't leave this footage where anyone can just see it. In fact here's a key to the studio we got in Elizabeth's name, take it there okay. You remember where that is?"

"Yeah. I'll handle it. Where do you want me to leave the key when I'm finished?"

"I'll call you and we'll meet up. I've got some people that I need to confront, on a variety of issues all centered around Elizabeth, so that may take a while." Jason needed to speak to Sonny, and someday he would kill Ric with or without Sonny's permission.

As Jason was leaving the office he noticed his cell phone was blinking indicating that a message had been left and decided that he would listen to it as soon as he got to Sonny's. 'I'm going to handle one thing at a time, and Sonny better have a damn good answer for why he didn't help Elizabeth or at least let me know she needed help. I also want to know who sent Elizabeth's letters back without letting me see them,' he thought as he got on his bike.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own ABC, General Hospital or Under the Tuscan Sun. I also don't own any of the characters therein.

8.) Truths Revealed

Jason pulled up to Greystone Manor and got off his bike. As he walked toward the front door he nodded to Max who was located outside standing at his post. Once he entered the foyer he took out his cell and listened to the message that was left there for him.

"Hey man, it's Francis. Look I'm on my sabbatical, but I came across something I think you may need to be aware of. If you could give a call back soon, it would be greatly appreciated. I'll keep my phone on me at all times."

Jason decided he would call Francis back as soon as he finished up with Sonny.

He walked back down the hall and into Sonny's home office.

"Hey," Jason said.

"Hey Man," said Sonny, as he stood up from his desk and walked over to Jason. "You alright, Jase? You look upset."

"I've just got a lot on my mind. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure? You know you can?"

"Did Elizabeth recently try to visit you and did you send her away?"

"Yeah, she visited. She explained that Emily's old stalker was out of prison and I told her that I couldn't justify putting men on her with her husband being a cop and all. We put some men on Emily though, being that she's my ex and your sister and all. I told her to talk to Mac. Did she talk to him?"

"Yeah, she spoke with Mac, but he couldn't help her either. Not enough funds to justify extra patrols for her. You know that Emily's stalker assaulted Elizabeth when she was 16?" Jason questioned.

"Yeah I know, but we can't give away our trade secrets with how we handle our protection details and members of our crew as well as how our operation works when the person we're trying to protect is married to a cop. Besides, why can't she go to Lucky?"

"She couldn't go to Lucky, because he violently shoved her when she told him that she slept with someone the night of the blackout. The bigger question is why didn't you tell me she needed help?" Jason said getting angry.

"You were out of town on business, Jase." Sonny replied starting to realize he had overstepped his bounds.

"Did she come to you for fake I.D.'s for her and the kids or ask how to get them?" Jason said trying to keep his voice even.

"Yeah, I told her I was busy, but I mentioned to her that she could come back and she didn't. I would've helped her with that. I just figured she changed her mind."

"Why? Why would you have helped her with that and not security?" Jason had a feeling as to why, but he wanted to hear Sonny say it.

"I figured if she needed I.D.'s to get out of town then she wouldn't be interfering with you and Sam anymore. Don't get me wrong. I actually like Elizabeth. I just feel like I owe Sam. You know she took care of you when you were in the hospital, and briefly lost your memory a couple years ago, and you two love each other. Liz is good person, but you know I don't feel the same obligation. Plus Sam was the mother of my child."

"Elizabeth has saved my life twice, Sonny, and helped me and Sam get away from the cops. You don't know this but Elizabeth is the one that shredded my file with the PCPD. She's the one who went behind Dr. Lee's and Noah Drake's back, and called Patrick in to save Sam's life. Elizabeth even got arrested for being part of the surgical team that helped save Sam's life. She's the one who created a diversion for me to get out the PCPD, when Alexis had me arrested, while Sam was missing. I just want to know in what way Elizabeth has been disloyal to us to the point where she deserved to be turned away with so much indifference and disregard to her safety and the two small children that she was desperately trying to protect. You knew we were keeping our distance to spare Sam. That didn't mean you had to treat her the way you did." Sonny stood stupefied. This was probably the most Jason had ever said in one sitting.

"I never thought about it that way I guess. I thought you just wanted to forget about that night you were with her and move on. I know Liz is special to you, and I know I could've been kinder and maybe helped her out. The bottom line is that as sweet as she is, perhaps there's a part of me that is still angry with her over the whole Ric and Carly thing. She never helped us out or believed us when we said he was bad news. We could've gotten to Carly sooner."

"Sonny, you know Elizabeth had no idea that Carly was there. Even Carly admitted that and she hates Elizabeth. Hell Sonny, she called the cops on Ric as soon as she woke up in the hospital, when she was recovering from a pulmonary embolism, that we never even heard how she got. For all we know he may have caused it."

"That's a leap, Jason. Ric's a shit, but I believe he may have loved her at one point."

"I don't know about that. I saw footage of her from back in November from just before Elizabeth helped Sam escape and he was rough with her. Even threatened to take her kids and kill her unborn child by pushing her down the stairs for helping me. Said he might follow Faith's lead on that one."

Sonny shook his head totally dismayed, "Son of a bitch, he accused me of pushing her when she lost the baby. It was the whole reason for kidnapping Carly. I'm sorry man. I don't know what to say. I know that probably doesn't cover it, and when I see her again I will tell Elizabeth. I guess I have some issues regarding that situation with Ric that I need to work through. Maybe, I'll talk to Dr. Winters about it in my next appointment. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"Before we move on to the next subject, have you ever seen this envelope?" Jason said as he brought out the unopened envelope from his pocket that was sent to the office at the coffee warehouse and returned to Elizabeth.

Sonny looked white as a ghost, he knew he was busted, "Yeah. Liz sent it to the office last month while you were out of town, but I sent it back. I was just trying to save your relationship with Sam. I didn't think you would appreciate Elizabeth going against your agreement and you weren't here and I didn't want Sam to get the wrong idea about you and Elizabeth. She'd come by the office, and I was afraid that she would see it and think there's something going on. I know that you've always been vulnerable where Elizabeth's concerned. I was going to tell you, but with all that's happened with the hostage crisis and us trying to find James Craig, and your dad passing away, I forgot."

"I'm not sure what to say right now. I know you thought you were helping, but you don't know all that's going on. To be honest, until a few days ago I wasn't even aware of what was going on." Jason said perplexed about his feelings.

"Have you spoken to Sam?" Jason asked.

"No, I haven't really had the need to. Alexis is on the mend so she's taken over her motherly duties again. What's up?"

"I ended it with Sam last night?"

"What? Why? I thought you two were doing better. Let me guess this has to do with why you're questioning me about Elizabeth. Did Elizabeth say something?"

"When it comes to Sam and me, I was just going through the motions. The fact is that my heart hasn't been in it with Sam since the night of the blackout. Elizabeth stole my heart years ago, and that night unearthed everything we had buried for so long."

"I'm kind of surprised. I mean you were desperate to help Sam last November when Ric came after her."

"That was different she was being wrongly accused of a crime by Ric. That was all in an attempt to capture me. And like always, Sam and I fell into the same old routine, but my heart wasn't in it this time. It just took me a while to realize it. I'm in love with Elizabeth. I have been for a long time, I've just been too afraid to admit it up until now."

Sonny, ran his hand across his face, "Jeez Jason, she's carrying Lucky's…"

"No, Sonny. She isn't."

"So she lied to me?"

"Maybe, I don't actually know," Jason said, "What do you remember about what she told you the day she got the results back?"

"That the father was who she thought it was going to be," Sonny pondered that for a minute, "Man, I'm sorry. I guess I sort presumed she meant Lucky. I don't think that I helped matters either."

"Why? What do you mean, Sonny?"

"Well, after she made that statement, I told her that it was for the best that the baby was Lucky's that way you wouldn't be so torn between the child and the world we live in. I'm so sorry, man. I walked away before she had time to correct me."

"Well, you're not alone. Carly made the same mistake that you did."

"What mistake did I supposedly make?" said Carly as she strolled right in.

"Don't you know how to knock, Carly? Sonny admonished his ex-wife.

"I was just dropping Morgan off, and heard my name. It doesn't sound like business to me, so again I ask, what mistake did I supposedly make?"

"Think back to last October, Carly. When you spoke to Elizabeth about the paternity results how did the conversation go down?"

"What? Did the mousy muffin face say that I picked on her? Why is she just bringing it up now?"

"Nothing of the sort, Carly. Now this is important so could you please answer my question and try to be honest?"

"I'm crushed, Jason! You know that I would never lie to you. For you, yes. To you, no!"

"Just answer me."

"Okay, jeez. Let me think. Well, it was the day after she got the results. So I walked up to the nurses station and I told her 'tough break,' because if the baby was yours then we all know that she would be measuring curtains at your place and telling everyone the happy news, and since she was still working that the baby was of course Lucky's."

"What did she say, Carly?" Jason asked as calmly as possible ready to throttle her.

"She answered me with that smug face of hers, and said that 'I had her all figured out,' which of course I did. Let me guess, she's telling you how mean I was."

"Wrong," said Jason. "Wrong. You're so wrong on so many levels."

"What do you mean, Jason? Don't let her fool you."

"Carly, after you came to my penthouse and told me that I wasn't the father, I was so hurt. By the time Elizabeth made it to my door a while later, I didn't even let her speak. I merely conveyed that I was aware of the results and that we should keep our distance so that I could preserve my relationship with Sam and she could go back to Lucky. Looking back on it now, I remember the look of astonishment and pain on her face, and I couldn't help but think why? Since she was getting her life back, and Lucky was getting clean for his baby. Except for one thing Carly."

"And what's that?" Carly asked crossing her arms and tilting her head to the side in defense, because she wasn't sure what accusation was coming.

"Lucky isn't the father of Elizabeth's baby. I am. I took your word for it that you knew the results and because of that I distanced myself from the mother of my only child, and basically ignored her for the duration of her pregnancy, with the exception of a few occasions where I relied heavily on her like when I was shot, but kept our conversations to a minimum. I'm surprised that she doesn't think I'm an absolute shit. She looked so hurt, and I couldn't understand why. Now I know. No offense but, I shouldn't have listened to you in this situation. You two don't get along. Why would she have told you anything? The answer is she wouldn't have. So now I've let the mother of my unborn child walk out of my life and fend for herself, and she's a major target for retaliation by Helena and Tom Baker, a man who assaulted her when she was still a kid. Not to mention that she's been treated poorly by both Lucky and Ric, you and I've been indifferent to her Sonny, not to mention her brother and grandmother were murdered, leaving her to raise her niece all on her own. I'm not sure how much more stress she can take."

"Here," Jason said, "Read this letter she left me. Bear in mind that I've checked nearly everything in the letter out and it's all legitimate. When you're finished let Sonny read it."

Carly opened the letter, it was the same one that Jason had read the night before and she started to gain some much needed understanding.

"Dearest Jason….

A couple minutes later Carly finished reading the letter and was both astonished and ashamed with her presumptions. Carly paused for a minute before asking, "So if something happens to her she wants either you and Sam, or Jax and me to take her kids? You and Sam I can sort of understand. I don't get why she'd want Jax and me as an option."

"Perhaps she's sees father material in Jax. She was his and Courtney's surrogate a few years ago. He's good with kids and great at handling money so she figures she could trust him. And despite how you treat her she knows that you wouldn't hurt children," Jason said.

"Well that is true. What does Sam think of all of this?" Carly asked, "The fact that Elizabeth is pregnant with your child ought to be pretty upsetting to her. I bet she flipped her lid." Carly said smugly almost smiling to herself. The fact was that while she didn't like Sam she'd grown used to her presence.

"I ended it with Sam last night before I even saw this letter. I've known that I was the father for the last couple of days, Emily let me know. The funny thing is Emily doesn't know that she let me know. She just knows that Elizabeth was with someone during the blackout, and doesn't know who," Jason said.

"So are you going to openly pursue Elizabeth now?" Carly asked.

"I love her, am I supposed to just ignore that? I've shoved my feelings down for over 8 years now."

"No, I'm not saying that. It's just that Elizabeth has never been keen of living this lifestyle. It takes a lot of getting used to," Carly said trying to make sense of it all.

"Yeah, but she's been in danger more often than not. Keeping my distance hasn't saved her from being a target anyways. Lucky, has put a huge target on her back because of his family's feud with Helena. She thinks the baby is Lucky's. "

Sonny finished reading the letter, 'Man did I ever get this wrong,' he thought before he asked, "Why hasn't Lucky called you out?" Sonny asked, "Does he know he's not the father?"

"Oh yeah, he knows, he just may not believe it. Elizabeth told him back in November, where upon he violently shoved her into the wall at Shadybrook. She told him that she was with someone the night of the blackout, but never told him who."

"Why?" Carly asked, "You'd think she'd be bragging about that to him."

"Carly, stop attributing your behavior and motivations to Elizabeth. She's not like you," Carly simply rolled her eyes as Jason continued, "She didn't tell him it was me, because she's trying to protect me. I didn't tell you this Carly, but last fall when he was high he tried to plant drugs on me and then arrest me so Mac would hire him back. He held a gun on me and was out of his mind on painkillers. Maxie told Elizabeth his plan and she came down to the docks to stop Lucky, and he shot at her. It was only a few inches off. He could've easily killed her and my unborn child."

"I kept wondering why Elizabeth was keeping her distance from Lucky. Remember, Luke and Laura's sort-of- wedding. Elizabeth spent the entire afternoon plastering on that fake smile and trying to stay away from Lucky," Sonny explained.

"Yeah, I just thought she was being her typical fake self," Carly said.

"Elizabeth only offers a fake smile to keep the others around her happy. She figures that's all they want to see so why not let them be happy in their ignorance of her true feelings."

"A people pleaser," Carly answered.

Jason shook his head 'yes' in confirmation.

"Carly, I have my work cut out for me. If we're going to continue to be friends and you want to be on the inside of this, then you have to work with me and not against me. You can't constantly put Elizabeth down. Her life depends on me making the right decisions from here on out. Just remember that even when things were dire for her she stuck her neck out for you and the boys, by letting us know that Helena may be targeting you too. There's a lot you don't know. She's done so much over the last year to help me. She's risked her job for both Sam and I more than once. She's also risked her freedom to keep me from being prosecuted and to save Sam's life."

"She's the one who stole your file, isn't she?"

Jason shook his head 'yes.'

"Good for her. Okay, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and I will work hard to not to cut her down, but if she hurts you all bets are off."

"Good. Now I have to work on leads and try to find her. She fled with the kids last Saturday. Apparently, she had to make a stop at her Grams' to get some paperwork and at some point Tom Baker was there. He left her a message on the wall and jerked off on the bed, and left Elizabeth a red dress like the one she had on when he raped her.

"Wait she was raped?" asked Carly shocked, "Well that explains a lot. When did this happen?"

"I didn't know it was a rape. You said he assaulted her."

"No, it was a rape," said Jason, "She was 16 and what do you mean Carly?"

"Why she always seemed like a goody, goody. Kind stuck up or kept to herself. Now I understand, why she was the way she was. There really wasn't anything going on with you two when you were shot the first time, was there?"

"No," Jason said as he shook his, "She said that to protect me from Nik, who kept showing up at her studio. She had to think of a way to explain why I was there, and that was the most reasonable explanation. Especially, since my shirt was open and she was tending to my wound."

"Where do you think she went?" Sonny asked, "Depending on where she may be we can have allies watching out for her within the hour."

"I'm thinking that when she left she made her way to Italy. She's always wanted to go there, but never had enough funds. Also, Sam doesn't know any of this. I would like it to stay that way for now. Are you free this morning Carly?" Jason asked with a smile on his face.

"Yeah. What do you need?"

"I need you to stop by my penthouse and make sure that Sam is moving out. She has until noon."

Carly smirked at this, "No problem. I'll be happy to help her move out," Carly said as she made her way to the door.

"Sonny, I'm going to have Stan come by here. I need you to go over Elizabeth's finances see if I'm missing something."

"Sure. I'm sorry, Jase. We'll make this right."

"I know. Just help me. She means everything to me, and she's out there all alone with small kids."

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Jason walked out to the foyer, and called Francis back. The phone rang two times, before Francis picked up.

"Correlli," Francis said as he answered the phone.

"Francis, its Jason. What's going on?"

"Not too much. I'm in Italy."

"Oh yeah, what region?"

"Tuscany."

"Nice. Look I'm kind of pressed for time, but you said there's a situation that I need to be aware of? What's going on?" Jason asked, as he was making his way out of the house.

"Well, it all started last Saturday…."

Thanks for reading. I will try to get the next chapter up soon. I know some of you wanted there to be more drama with Sonny and Jason, but there will be plenty of drama to come. My story requires Sonny and Carly to be loyal to Jason. Thanks again for all your support. I'll have a new chapter up soon!


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own ABC, General Hospital, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Disney. I also don't own any of the characters therein. I still don't own Range Rover, or newly added International Midwife's Alliance. Two chapters later and I'm still as poor as I was before, and still have a lot of time on my hands. Thanks for reading this.

9.) Cheers

Jason walked out to the foyer, and called Francis back. The phone rang two times, before Francis picked up.

"Correlli," Francis said as he answered the phone.

"Francis, its Jason. What's going on?"

"Not too much. I'm in Italy."

"Oh yeah, what region?"

"Tuscany."

"Nice. Look I'm kind of pressed for time, but you said there's a situation that I need to be aware of? What's going on?" Jason asked, as he was making his way out of the house.

"Well, it all started last Saturday morning a little before 11:00 in Switzerland," Francis said.

"Switzerland? Why Switzerland?"

"Well, I stopped there to do some banking. I hadn't even left the airport when I spotted an old friend of yours."

"Care to elaborate?" Jason said, as he'd forgotten that Elizabeth had stopped in Switzerland first.

"You don't know? Okay, well I gotta say I was really surprised to see an extremely pregnant Elizabeth Spencer formerly Webber traveling around the Zurich International Airport escorted by what looked like Robin's mother and two young children. I knew about the little boy, but where did the little girl come from?" Francis rambled on.

"Wait. Francis, do you know where Elizabeth is now?" Jason asked before adding, "And the little girl is her adopted niece, Aurora."

"Oh. I guess that explains the little girl. As far as where they are right this minute I'm not too sure, but I have a good idea. She met with some contractors this morning and not too long after that she and munchkins took a bus out of town heading north. My guess is they went to Florence. It was one of those day trip buses, so they'll probably be back later. I do know where she will living and you've got to see it. It's a thing of beauty," Francis said snickering over the phone.

"That bad? Where is she staying Francis? Do you have the name she bought it under?"

"I was surveying her earlier when she introduced herself to the contractors, and she appears to be introducing herself as Elizabeth Cerio. Though, I'm not certain how she's spelling that last name. It could be with the more common C for this area. She appears to have purchased a really old Villa. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 to 300 years old. The villa even has a name."

"Oh really, well tell me what the name is and it may be easier to locate?"

"Il Mio Vento. Kind of unusual isn't it? The house does sit on top of hill that seems to get a lot of wind though."

'My Wind,' Jason thought as he smiled to himself, "Actually, considering the buyer it all makes perfect sense."

"I know you're not going to like this, but when she left on the bus, I kind of entered the villa through the window, and installed some surveillance equipment, nothing major two cameras with audio on the first floor."

"You did what?" asked Jason.

"Look, she's all alone and she's way too trusting. I didn't want to spook her after all these years, but she's got those men coming back to work on the house, and one of them could take advantage of her. Although, for the most part they seemed really nice. I wrote their names down and am running a background check now as we speak. Also, she's got no vehicle. What if she goes into labor?"

"Can you continue to look after her until I get there," Jason added. He didn't like it but it made perfect sense, "Is there any way that you can get that footage sent to mine or Stan's computer?"

"Yeah, I'm sure there's a way. I'm watching the footage on my computer as we speak, so I'm sure there's a way to give you or him access. There may be a small delay since we're so far away from you."

"That's okay. Francis please keep me updated. I will be heading that way, as soon as I wrap a few things up here," Jason said.

"You're coming here? Are you sure Sam will be okay with that?" Francis asked.

"How Sam feels on the subject doesn't bother me. We're no longer together as of last night. I've left her because I'm in love with someone else," Jason said more sure of himself. It felt good to admit it out loud. He'd denied himself for far too long when it came to his feelings toward Elizabeth.

"Oh," said Francis, "Does the person you're in love with have chestnut hair, dark blue eyes, the most beautiful smile, work as a nurse, paint on the side, and pail around with your kid sister?"

Jason smiled as Francis started to grill him, "What if she does?"

"Jason, it's about damn time. I'd pretty much lost hope, but what is Lucky going to say?"

"They're divorced, so hopefully he won't say much. In fact, I have plenty to say to him when I see him again."

"Interesting. What about the new baby? Lucky, won't be happy that you're going to be involved?" Francis asked.

"Lucky, can be unhappy for all I care, seeing as how the baby's mine. Again, he's another person whose feelings on the matter I care nothing for."

"The baby's yours? Then why is Elizabeth here?"

"Long story. Helena's after her and so is Tom Baker, her former Rapist. That's why I need you to stay and keep an eye on her."

"Will do. Let me know when you're headed our way."

"I will, and thank you Francis."

"No problem. Liz is special that's why I thought you'd want to know."

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"Hey Cody, Jason asked me to stop by and help Sam with the move," said Carly.

"Enter at your own risk," Cody replied.

Carly smirked at this and walked in the front door. Sam wasn't downstairs, but she noticed boxes were placed around haphazardly.

Carly heard movement coming from upstairs so she turned toward the steps and chuckled in amusement.

"Well, well, well. You finally turned him off enough to make him kick you out for good this time. I like what you've done with the place, Sam. You leaving is a good look."

"Come here to gloat, Carly?" Sam replied as reached the last step.

"No, that's just an added bonus. I came here to help you move expediently."

"Go away, Carly. I have packing to do, and then I have to track down that miserable bitch Elizabeth and give her a piece of my mind," said Sam.

"Good luck with that. Jason, won't let you get anywhere near Elizabeth."

"What's with the 360 that you've done where Elizabeth is concerned? Haven't you always hated her?"

"You mean a 180 you simplistic moron, and you're right I've never been fond of her, but she isn't a stupid whore like you, so that's an improvement."

"Watch who you're calling names you jealous, vindictive, sack of shit," Sam screamed.

"Vindictive is a big word for you Sam. Why don't you watch yourself you skank, or I'll slap the shit out of you. You deserve it for the last two years that I've been forced to put up this façade of false acceptance of you considering how you came to be in our circle. Don't think I've forgotten how you seduced Sonny," Carly said as she put her hands on her hips, standing her ground.

"Honestly Carly, I thought we'd gotten past all of this. I thought you approved of the relationship between me and Jason."

"You've never been good enough for Jason. You're way too easy to manipulate, Skankzilla."

"Oh that's it," Sam said as she came out screaming and slapped Carly across the face with as much force as she could muster, "You're one to talk. You've been with half the town Carly. You're no better."

Carly didn't take that hit lightly, as she came back full force with a well-aimed jab to Sam's right eye. "Well at least Jason still wants me in his life, unlike you. Now hurry and pack your shit so you can get the fuck out," Carly said in return. After that, it was a free for all, with hair yanked, and yelps let out as the two women rolled around on the penthouse floor.

After a couple of minutes, the women stood up breathing hard from the exertion from their catfight. Carly took a moment to readjust her clothes and looked at the clock on the wall, "Bitch, you better hurry. You only have 45 minutes left."

Sam looked over at her, lifted up her left hand and stuck up her middle finger in response before grabbing another empty box and heading upstairs.

Carly silently chuckled to herself as she crossed her arms and observed Sam's hasty retreat.

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"Hey what are you up to?" Emily asked as she was talking on the phone to her ex-husband and current boyfriend, Nicolas Cassadine. It had been a long shift, and Emily was starting to make her way into the women's locker room at work.

"Nothing much. I just saw new neurological specialist to find out about my headaches. I should be home in a couple of days. I can't wait to see you."

"Have the headaches dulled any or are they the same?"

"They're the same."

"That's awful, Nik. I hope we get some answers soon. How's Spencer doing with the new nanny?" Emily asked.

"He seems to be adjusting nicely. Any news on Liz?"

"I'm glad that Spencer is doing so well. I can't wait to have you both home. There's been no word on Liz. I'm really worried Nik. Have you heard anything from Helena?" Emily questioned.

"No, I haven't heard news on Helena. It seems she's gone underground."

"Darn. Look, if something changes call me. I love you."

"I love you too! I'll see you soon and stay safe," Nik said in reply as he hung up.

Emily went about opening her locker, but not really paying attention to the mundane task she was performing. She slowly pulled the door open and came back to reality when she realized that the clothes that she'd worn into work were missing and hanging in their place was a silk burgundy red dress. Scribbled, on the inside of the door was "Blackmail was only the beginning." On the walls of the locker were pictures of her working around the hospital, waiting for the launch to Wyndemere at the docs, her picking up food at Kelly's, and one of her sitting on couch in in the living room at the mansion.

She noticed a sealed envelope which she initially went to grab, but then thought better of it. Opening her cell phone she pressed her speed dial for the police department. Emily thought about calling Lucky, but felt he was ill-equipped to handle this situation despite the fact that he'd been reinstated to the force. After one ring, an officer picked up.

"PCPD officer Jeffrey's speaking,"

"Officer Jeffrey's, is Mac in?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, give me a second and I'll connect you."

The line went quiet, and then a generic ad speaking on things related to the alleged integrity and fidelity of the PCPD was being played, 'Of all the things victims of crimes have to be subjected to while they wait on the phone to get in touch with a police officer. The dead silence is almost more comforting,' Emily thought while waiting for Mac to pick up.

"This is Police Commissioner Scorpio, how may I be of assistance?"

"Mac, this is Emily Quartmaine. Would it be possible for you to meet me on the third floor of GH at the woman's locker room in the next 20 minutes? I've come across something that you're going to need to see."

"Can you tell me what this is about?" Mac asked.

"My stalker has made contact."

"I'll be right there."

Nearly 15 minutes later Mac poked his head into the women's locker room, and Emily looked up.

"It's alright Mac, I'm the only one here right now," said a stressed out Emily.

Mac walked over to where Emily was sitting and looked to where she was pointing.

"I have forensics on the way."

"Is there a way to pick up Tom Baker? I know he did this."

"I know that based on the timing and the optics that this all points to Baker, but we need proof Emily."

"Please tell me the circumstances leading to discovery of finding your locker this way."

Two minutes later Mac had all the information for his report and walked over to the locker. "We'll have Forensics take prints and pictures of everything in the locker and then we'll open the letter," Mac said as he peered inside the locker.

"Alright, I can wait. I want to know what he had to say in that letter."

Two minutes went by with no words passed between them, when there was a knock on the door. A petite blond poked her head in. "I'm Sally Johnson from the CSI unit. I'm here to process the scene," she said looking at Emily

"Hey Sally," said Mac, "The locker's over here."

Sally made her way over to Emily's open locker and set about taking photographs of the locker.  
Then she started dusting for finger prints.

Mac walked over to Emily and said, "As soon as she's finished lifting the prints then we'll open the letter. Photograph it, dust it, and then read it."

"Okay," Emily said.

"Do you think there's a possibility he left a note in Mrs. Spencer's locker? She does have a locker, right?" Mac asked.

"Yeah, Mac Liz has a locker. Its right next to mine of course."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure, I can open it now if you want?"

"No Emily, don't do that yet. Let me see if I can get a warrant."

"Alright, if you're sure."

Mac shook his head 'yes,' and walked to another part of the locker room to call a judge. A few minutes later he walked back over to Emily.

"I have a warrant on the way. We have at least one judge who takes stalking very seriously."

"That's good news, Mac. So you think he left something similar in Liz's locker?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Mac, I'm done with this locker. I take it you want me to stick around and dust another one?"

"Yeah, the warrant is on the way, Sally."

"So I'll just sit tight for a moment."

"Hey, what going on?" Robin said as she walked in.

"Hey Robin, my stalker left me a present."

"Oh no, how awful. Are you alright, Em?"

"I'm fine. It's just disconcerting."

"Is it the same guy that Liz mentioned in her letter?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, his name is Tom Baker, and he's a real piece of work."

"Well he sounds like one."

"Do you want to stay with me tonight, Em?"

"Sure."

"Well let me know when you're ready to leave. I'll just wait outside," Robin said as she grabbed her coat.

"Okay."

Mac walked over to Emily with the letter. Admittedly, he'd read the first part and was reluctant to let Emily see it. It was just disturbing. "Are sure you want to read what he left for you?"

"He's disgusting, but I would like to know what he wanted to say."

"Okay, then. Put on a pair of gloves," Mac said as he handed her a set of gloves.

Emily did as instructed and then took the letter from Mac. As she looked down at the scribbled writing she read:

 _Emily,_

 _"_ _I wrote a poem special for you. Hope you like it. It's an original."_

'Oh please,' thought Emily.

 _"_ _Roses are red,_

 _Violets are blue,_

 _I'm going to cum so hard_

 _When I rape the fuck out of you."_

'Holy shit. What is he, like two? If this wasn't so serious, I would be laughing.' Emily almost had to stifle a laugh at the absurdity of this.

 _"_ _If you don't like that one I wrote you another one. Here goes._

 _Roses are red,_

 _And so is your blood._

 _I'll make you bleed like Webber,_

 _But this time I'll not take you in the snow, but in the mud."_

 _See you soon, Emily."_

Emily shook her head and handed the letter back to Mac. He had an evidence bag waiting.

"He's ridiculous, Mac."

"That may be true, but he's definitely a threat."

"Of that I have no doubt."

"While you were reading that Cruz showed up the warrant. Can you get me into Liz's locker so I don't have to damage any property in the process of getting it open?"

"Sure, Mac give me a second."

Emily thought about the locker combo for a minute and then remembered it. Luckily, she still had gloves on so she wouldn't contaminate the locker. It took her a minute once she started, but then she managed to get it open.

As they opened the locker, it was more of the same. None of Elizabeth's belongings were in there, but in its place was another burgundy dress. There were pictures of Elizabeth and her niece Aurora together.

"Oh my God, Mac. He was here long enough to do this to both lockers undetected. How is it possible that no one would have noticed him?"

"We'll have someone look through the surveillance footage to see how this was accomplished."

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"Morgan," Jason answered his cell.

"Hey Jason, this is Ritchie. I'm on guard duty for your sister today.

"What's going on?"

"Not sure, I know she's okay, but Mac and forensics are in the locker room right now."

"I'll be there as soon as possible."

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Elizabeth was driving through Florence in her brand new hunter green _Range Rover_. 'This is so awesome, but it's going to take some time getting used to what the street signs mean,' Liz thought. Luckily, Anna had all of Elizabeth's paperwork fudged to include an Italian Driver's license. Anna also had provided the picture of an agent that looked similar to Elizabeth for the license. If they used her picture Helena and her henchman may be able to use facial recognition software to locate her, so they used an agent with a similar face.

Elizabeth had read the English version of the driving rules when she and the children were on the train from Switzerland to Milan and reread the driving guide on the bus ride from Milan to Florence before they stopped for the night.

Thankfully, riposa was ending and people would be back to work soon. Elizabeth had come to a decision regarding where she was going to give birth. The fact was that she was certain that Helena's reprobates would be scouting the hospitals for a May birth, so she had come to the hard decision that she wasn't going to give birth at a hospital, but at home. It wasn't ideal, but she was a nurse and had done her research in the weeks prior to leaving, and she knew where to get a midwife. She had reached out to the " _International Midwife's Alliance"_ and found women who could help her.

Florence had one woman in particular who was well known for ability to prep women for labor, and had a team that could be dispatched at a moment's notice help facilitate a delivery, some of her team lived in Cortona.

Elizabeth parked the SUV and got the kids out. She took each child by the hand and said, "Okay, you two. You've both been excellent and if you can give me a little while longer to get this done, and make arrangements for our newest little member of the family then I will treat you to some gelato and take you to the toy store up the street. One more thing, the people inside are going to call me another name other than Elizabeth, just let them. Let's all pretend to have different names and not tell anyone, okay? Cameron you'll go by your middle name, which is Steven, and Aurora you'll go by your middle name which is? " Elizabeth asked knowing that Aurora knew her middle name but she would be the one to want to say it.

"Michaela," squealed Aurora.

"Good job, sweet girl."

"I'll be good. I can't wait to get a toy," said Cameron.

The midwifery business that she was walking into was called Madre Natura: Un'esperienza Di Nascita Natural. (Mother Nature: A Natural Birthing Experience). Liz approached the front desk and picked up a couple pamphlets before signing in. She signed her name _Imogene Cerio._ That's actually how she signed her name on all legal documents since she came to Italy. The only problem was that she hated the name Imogene so she went by her real name, Elizabeth. It was just easier for to keep track of. She took a seat and waited to be called.

Ten minutes later the receptionist called out, "Imogene Cerio," which Elizabeth promptly ignored until she heard it a second time and realized that that was her new name being yelled out. 'Great job Webber, forget your name why don't you. Way to play it cool, you moron, and here I was telling the kids we would all pretend.,' she thought to herself as she worked hard trying to stifle her laughter, she realized as she stood up that she really needed to use the bathroom too. The kids had gone at the dealership, but she forgot to, because she was so enamored with her new vehicle.

"That's me. Sono Imogene Cerio," said Elizabeth and it sounded more like a question rather than a statement. 'Oh yeah, way to play it cool. I sounded totally legitimate. There was a time that I was actually good at bullshitting my way through these situations.' Then Liz came back to reality as the receptionist asked.

"Como possiamo aiutarti oggi?"

"Huh, I don't speak Italian very well," said Elizabeth, 'I'm going to have to work on this,' Elizabeth thought.

"That's okay. I speak a little bit of English. How can I a-help a-you today?"

"Well, as you can see I'm going to have a baby. I'm new to Italy and recently bought a home in Cortona. I was wondering if I could speak with a midwife about setting up my home for a natural birth in May."

"Si, this is possible. I will take you back to a room and our midwife on duty will meet with you."

"Would it be possible to use the bathroom?"

"Si, come a-this a-way."

"Grazi."

The receptionist nodded and led Liz to the bathroom. Liz brought the children inside with her and the receptionist looked at her skeptically, but Liz chose to ignore it and shut the door to continue what she needed to do at that moment. "Okay, you two. Face the wall, so you don't have to see me do my business," Liz said to the children who behaving so well.

Liz finished up and washed her hands. The truth was that she probably looked strange taking the two children with her into the small bathroom, but she couldn't in good conscience leave her children with someone she just met no matter how pleasant they seemed, national norms be damned. She was an American and she'd seen _"America's Most Wanted,"_ and that wouldn't happen to her kids if she could help it, so damn the world they would be peeing together for the foreseeable future, and if anyone had a problem with it to hell with them.

Liz and the kids exited the bathroom to see the receptionist waiting patiently for them. The receptionist waved them forward and showed them to an empty room.

"Our Midwife's name is a-Sophia, and she will be a-with you a soon."

"Grazi," replied Elizabeth.

Elizabeth sat down on the bed and made herself comfortable as Aurora and Cameron shared the only available chair in the room, other than what would be the midwife's chair.

The wait was not more than a couple of minutes before a middle-aged brunette walked in and shook Elizabeth's hand and introduced herself.

"Sono Sophia. I understand that you're in need of a midwife, and I can see why."

"I'm E—Imogene Cerio and I'm almost 7 months along."

"That I can see. I see that you've brought two little helpers."

"I have," Elizabeth replied. "This is Steven and Michaela."

"They're carina or as you Americans call it, cute."

"Si, they are."

"Now let's get down to business."

"You say you're due in May."

"Si."

"The receptionist mentioned you live in Cortona. I have two midwives in that area.I could have one of them stop by take measurements and check on you weekly if you choose to go with our company."

"Alright. Can they be trusted?"

"Yes, they've both met Italian and European certifications as both nurses and midwives."

"That's excellent," Elizabeth replied.

"If you would like we can take an ultrasound now to check on your baby. You are new to the country I take it, Signora Cerio. We have national healthcare, but I take it you're not signed up."

"No, I'm not. Will that be a problem?"

"No, but you will have to pay upfront."

"That's not a problem. In fact, if it's at all possible, I would like to keep my name off the national system. I have an angry ex-husband who is volatile and I don't want to pull up my records with facial recognition software if you catch my meaning."

"I understand perfectly, Signora Cerio. I would be happy to accept cash payment. American dollars still work better than the Euro."

"If you keep my name out of the system. I will make a sizable donation to your business, so you can give your employees a holiday bonus, or donate it to young parents who need help."

"I think we can work something out. Now then, let's get a look at your baby, and then we'll schedule one of the nurses to come visit you next week at your home. They will know they have to keep things a secret. You are not the first woman to be in these circumstances. We women have to help each other."

"Grazi Sophia, Grazi!" Elizabeth said near tears.

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Jason exited the elevator on the third floor at GH, and made his way over to the locker rooms. He'd done enough surveillance over the years to know almost the entire layout of the hospital, what he didn't know he learned last summer when Sam had been held in the sub-levels by Manny.

Jason waved at Richie, "Hey man, they still haven't come out yet. I don't know what happened. I just know that you're sister is in there and that she hasn't been harmed."

"Thanks," Jason said in return. Jason then knocked on the door and peeked his head in. "Emily, its Jason are you okay in there?"

Emily walked over to the door, "Yeah Jason, I'm okay. Just shook up. Looks like Tom Baker made contact with me. He left me some 'gifts' in my locker."

"What kind of gifts?"

"Pictures of me here, at the mansion, the docks, and even Kelly's. It's a little disconcerting to say the least. He replaced the clothes that I came to work in with a silk burgundy dress. It's the same thing he did to Elizabeth, and her locker has stuff left by him too. Only…" Emily paused.

"Only what Emily?" Jason questioned probing her to tell him more.

"Only, it wasn't just pictures of Elizabeth. He had pictures of Elizabeth with Aurora. It seems he's taken a liking to her as well. He's got to be stopped, Jason. Aurora is just a baby. I can't imagine him getting his hands on her. It's bad enough for him to want to hurt us. We're adults. Aurora's defenseless."

"Well it wouldn't be the first time he went after a child, now would it? Elizabeth was still a teenager when he went after her," Jason said as Emily nodded in affirmation.

"Emily, we're going to open the letter that was left for Elizabeth," Mac said, "Since you know more about him you can stay if you like."

"Can Jason stay? He's one of Elizabeth's closest friends."

"I'll allow it. We've already dusted for shoeprints and fingerprints so he won't contaminate it now, but Jason put on some gloves I don't want the case being thrown out due to contamination."

"Fine," Jason said. Having no great love for Mac, but willing to do anything to help Elizabeth and his sister he cooperated.

Mac handed Jason the letter that was left for his sister, as he set about reading it with disgust. Jason quickly finished the letter shaking his head and handed it back to Mac. Then he walked over to Emily who was reading the letter left for Elizabeth.

"That's awful," Emily said as she shook her head in disbelief as she added, "What a cretin." Then Emily handed the letter to Jason.

" _My Darling Elizabeth,_

 _I was going to write you poem like our dear Emily, but alas we've been through so much more together that a simple poem will hardly suffice. Do you love our memory of Valentine's Day and the snow? I bought you another dress, to recreate our memories. I loved seeing you in red. Not just the dress, but your blood. Remember how I left you bleeding and torn. If you liked that, well I can't wait to try it again sometime soon. This time I'll pick a warmer location. I've been watching you, and your little girl too. She's precious, just like her new mommy. I usually don't go for girls that young, but in her case I'll make an exception. After all, you were exquisite and I'm sure she'll be the same._

 _Your First Lover,_

 _Tom Baker"_

 _"_ _P.S. Give my love to little Aurora too."_

It took all of Jason's restraint not to grip the letter harder and tear it up.

"Mac, is this guy on parole?"

"No Jason, he was released for time served. The bastard is in the wind."

"Emily why don't you come and stay with me tonight."

"Robin asked me to stay with her."

"I would feel better if you stayed with me. Plus, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Fine. Let me go talk to Robin."

9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

"Slow down you two. The store isn't closing yet," Elizabeth said as she was being dragged around the store by two very excited and very deserving young children.

"Hold on. Let's flip a coin and we'll decide who gets to go where first. Heads is Aurora and Tails is Cameron."

Elizabeth flipped the coin and tails won the toss, "Okay, Cameron. You get to go first."

"Yippy," yelled Cameron as he ran forward in search of something pertaining to _"Chuggin' Charlie."_ It didn't take long before he found a set of trains that weren't terribly expensive. Cameron looked to his mom to see if it was okay.

Elizabeth nodded 'yes' and waved him forward, "Are you sure this is what you want little buddy?"

"Yes, mommy!" Cameron said in excitement.

"Great!" said Elizabeth, "Aurora, baby girl. It's your turn,"

Aurora walked down the aisle and looked up in wonder, "What's caught your eye, Rora."

"Aunt Lizzie," Aurora said tugging on Liz's shirt, "Can I get the doctor's kit. Then I can be just like you and my daddy and I can take care of my stuffed aminals when they get sick."

"That's a wonderful idea, Rorabug. Grab it and we'll go get something to eat before we head home."

As they made their way to the checkout Elizabeth noticed some stuffed animals for sale. They were all Disney characters.

"Hey guys go look out that window right there and see if the SUV is safe." Liz carefully maneuvered the stuffed animals to the checkout so the kids couldn't see her purchase. She wanted to surprise them before they went to sleep with some stuffed creatures to love.

In all there were five. She picked a Mickey, Donald, Minnie and Daisy. The last was Winnie the Pooh that she bought for the baby. Thankfully, the stuffed animals all had patch eyes so she didn't have to worry about them being a choking hazard. Looking behind the counter there were two movies that might interest the kids for the ride home. Liz pointed to the two movies and waved at the cashier to add them quickly. As Liz payed for her hall she watched the kids survey the SUV while stifling a small chuckle at their antics. The kids were making binoculars out of their hands and shifting their little heads all about to see if anything nefarious was taking place outside.

"It's okay you two, you can come back over now. I'm sure the SUV is fine," Elizabeth said winking at the cashier who smiled back at her.

"Let's go get something to eat. There's a quick serve pizza place not too far from here. After the pizza we'll head home."

Five minutes later Liz pulled up to the pizza place.

"Unbuckle, you two. Let's go get some pizza."

"Mommy, I gots to go potty."

"Me too Aunt Lizzie, weal bad."

"Okay, I'm sure there's a place to potty inside."

Liz took the kids' hands hand led them to the ladies room. Luckily, this place had stalls. Even a larger one for the disabled, which is precisely the one that she planned on using. She justified it by saying it was easiest way to watch everyone.

"Okay Aurora, Cam and I are going to stand facing away so you can have your privacy. Then we'll take our turns."

"Mommy you just went."

"That is true, but what you don't understand is that your little brother is stepping on my bladder trying to force all of mommy's pee-pee out."

"For weal?"

"Yes, for real, little man. All of you little buggers do that when you're in the mommy's belly." Liz said giggling at her explanation.

Aurora had finished up and washing her hands, "Did I do that in my mommy's belly?" Aurora asked as she made her way over to Elizabeth.

"Cameron, it's your turn," Liz said as she looked over at Aurora smiled and said, "Of course you did sweetheart. Your daddy used to tell me that you made your mommy have to go potty all the time when I called him."

That made Aurora laugh. Cameron finished up and washed his hands and stood over next to Aurora, while Elizabeth took her turn. After Elizabeth finished they all left the restroom to place their order.

The kids each picked out of slice of pepperoni and cheese, while Elizabeth ordered Pepperoni and mushroom. Liz paid, picked up their order number, and their drinks which consisted of three bottles of water, and waited a couple of minutes for their food to arrive at the table.

As they waited the children noticed a small party taking place at the table next to them. They were both intrigued at the adults clinking there glasses and saying "Saluti."

"Aunt Lizzie, what are they doing over there?"

"They're celebrating. We do the same thing in America. You want to try?"

"Yeah," said Cameron.

"Okay, you two. First, you have to say something good about the world around you or the people in it and then you take your bottles of water or a cup in your hand, and we'll bring them to the middle of the table and 'cheers' as they all touch each other in our hands. Okay?"

"Alright," said the kids.

Liz lifted her bottle of water up and said, "Here's to my three beautiful children. May we never be far apart and may you always know that I love you most in the whole wide world."

Liz brought her bottle of water down towards the center of the table. The children caught on rather quickly, and all three said "Cheers."

It was a beautiful moment that brought the first genuine smile to Elizabeth's face in months.

The pizza arrived a minute later. After they ate their fill Liz surprised the kids with _"Winnie the Pooh's Hefflelump Movie,"_ that had come out the year before and put it on in the car for them. They were so excited.

"This is so cool, Aunt Lizzie."

"I'm glad you like it, baby."

"Yeah, mom this is amazing."

"I'm so happy you approve, sweetheart."

Liz buckled and checked the kid's seats. They were secure so she set about getting herself in, buckled, and driving home. She set the navigation, and put on some music (none of which she understood) and made her way home.

"Il Mio Vento, here we come," Liz said as she drove back to her new abode.


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own ABC, General Hospital, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Disney. I also don't own any of the characters therein. I still don't own Range Rover, or newly added International Midwife's Alliance. Two chapters later and I'm still as poor as I was before, and still have a lot of time on my hands. Thanks for reading this.

10.) Worth Fighting For

The door opened to the penthouse, "Thank you for looking after me. How did I get so lucky to have such a wonderful big brother?"

"The same way I got so lucky to have such an amazing little sister, and there was no way with all that is going on that I was going to trust your safety to anyone else," Jason replied.

He set her duffle bag down, and put the food from Kelly's on the living room table.

"I also needed to tell you something, but I wasn't sure how to go about it."

"Where's Sam?" Emily asked as she looked around.

"She and I are over. I broke it off with her last night."

"You did what? Jason, I thought you were working hard to get back together."

"Things changed last summer and I realized that I'm not in love with her. I've been lying to myself for a long time. There's someone else I'm in love with and I spent years trying to deny how I feel and so has she."

"Wow, Jason. Who's the lucky girl? Oh my God, tell me it's not Carly, Jase. Having her as my sister-in-law was unbearable the first time."

"Okay, okay, you caught us. Carly and I just couldn't hold back our feelings any longer."

Emily gave Jason an incredulous look, before he burst out laughing.

"No, not Carly," Jason said.

"Whew! Of course you said that she was also denying her feelings so it couldn't be Carly."

"Promise you won't freak out on me."

"Does this woman that you love make you happy and treat you well?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. She's always had my best interest at heart."

"Then that's good enough for me. Who is she, Jase?"

"Elizabeth."

"Oh my-. Now I get it. You're the father aren't you? You're the one she was with the night of the blackout?" Emily asked then continued as Jason shook his head 'yes' to confirm her first two questions, "I'm not that surprised actually. You two have always been magnetic."

"I certainly feel a pull towards her that I haven't ever been able to describe with words."

"Jase, why did you turn her away, if you knew you were the father? That doesn't sound like you. I mean if you didn't want to be with her, you could've told her and she would understand but didn't you want to go to doctor's appointments? Find out the gender? At the very least you could co-parent"

"I was misinformed as to the results of the paternity test. I did ask her to marry me before I even knew the results, but Elizabeth felt that the proposal was obligatory on my part as a need to help save her. That's not how I felt, but I could understand why she felt that way. She has a need to be independent and not be seen as a burden. Anyway, to get back on the topic, I didn't really let her speak when she came to see me about the results, and told her I was aware of what the results indicated and thought we should take a step back from our friendship. I thought the results stated that I wasn't the father, and so I pushed her away. I was hurt, because I really wanted to be the father of her baby."

"Well that makes sense. I guess Monday was fairly exhilarating and devastating for you Jason."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"I mean in one moment you found you were going to be a father and at that same moment you also found out that someone you harbored feelings for was being stalked and targeted and that she had fled with your unborn child to what would hopefully be a safer place. Even worse she knows that you care about her but are focused on a relationship with Sam. God that sounds like Elizabeth. Out of everyone I know, her feelings always come last. She's like the female version of you only less lethal when crossed."

"Yeah, I messed up."

"You didn't do it alone. How did you find out that the results were negative?"

"Carly. Carly had a confrontation with Liz and assumed that since Elizabeth was still working that meant that the baby wasn't mine." Jason answered simply.

"Figures," Emily said, "Look, I want in."

"Huh…in on what," Jason said befuddled.

"On the plan. You know…whatever you're working on to help get Elizabeth back. I want in on it. So, what do you know?"

"I don't know. I don't have a major plan yet. I'm just trying to figure out the pieces. You've got the same pervert coming after you, and possibly Helena. We really need to find her."

"Have you figured out where Elizabeth is?"

"I don't know if I should mention it. Elizabeth didn't mean it mean, but she doesn't trust Nik or his family at the moment."

"I don't blame her for mistrusting Nik's family, and when it comes to Nik I get the hesitation, I won't tell him. The fact is that he hasn't been right since dealing with James Craig and whatever he exposed Nik to."

"He hasn't been violent has he?"

"No, but he has been volatile. He's been suffering from bad headaches which have altered his mood."

Jason got up and went to his email, and sure enough there was one from Francis. "Em, if I let you in on this you can't tell Nik. I can't risk Liz's safety, or yours for that matter."

"I promise I won't," Emily said.

"Francis found her. He set up surveillance on the first floor of the Villa that she's staying in. She doesn't know that. I haven't seen any footage yet, but I'm eager to see if she and the kids are alright."

"Ohhhh, she's gonna be so mad when she finds out. It's a good thing it's Francis. She has a soft spot for him."

"She does?" Jason said a little unsure if he should be jealous or not.

Seeing this Emily clarified, "Yeah, like a big brother. Liz kind of adopts people into her orbit. She's special that way."

"Yeah, yeah she is."

Jason opened the email message which provided an active link to the feeds in Elizabeth's living room and kitchen. Jason clicked on the link and two split screens showed up. It appeared to be dark.

"Hmmm…quaint. Geez how old is this villa, Jason."

"According to Francis 2 to 300 years old. Elizabeth has moved quickly though she met with contractors earlier this morning."

"Either they're asleep or not home," Emily said as she observed the stillness of the room.

They ate what would be considered an earlier dinner and waited patiently for something to happen. It was 4:00 pm their time, so it would be a little after 10:00 PM in Italy. Jason got up to get him and Emily something to drink.

"Jason look the door is opening," said Emily excitedly.

"Great."

From behind an open door an exhausted Elizabeth emerged with two very tired children in tow. Since the video had audio they could hear the conversation.

 _There was a childish giggling, "Hold on you two, and let me turn the light on."_

 _"_ _Hurry Aunt Lizzie, I have to use the potty." Aurora said as she was hopping while crossing her legs._

 _"_ _I know baby, but if I don't get the lights on you could trip." Liz said as she flipped the light switch on._

 _"_ _Aurora, I'll race you," said Cameron playfully._

 _"_ _Cameron Steven Webber, you come here and stand in timeout for baiting your cousin into running when you know she can't right now."_

 _"_ _Aurora, are you okay to head up to the bathroom?"_

 _"_ _I'm scared Aunt Lizzie, its dark up there. There could be a monster in the shadows." Elizabeth secured the door and made her way over to Aurora._

 _"_ _Cameron, buddy you stay right here and we're going to have a talk as soon as I clear the house of shadow monsters,"_

"Poor Liz has her hands full with those two. She's amazing isn't she? Did you see the scarf in her hair?" Emily commented as she started laughing.

"Yeah she is amazing. I was going to ask the purpose of the scarf." Jason replied.

"Well you remember how curly her hair is right?"

"I thought it was one of those perms that ladies sometimes get."

"No, Liz's hair is naturally curly, just like Cameron's. I've seen the rag look before. She only employs it in times of desperation," Emily said as she noticed her brother look stressed, "Penny for your thoughts, Jase."

"There's just so much I need to say, and to apologize to her for," Jason said as Emily placed a comforting hand on his back.

"You'll get your chance. I know that Liz will hear you out." Their attention came back to the toddler who waiting at the bottom of the stairs for his mother. Slowly, Elizabeth made her way down the stairs and sat on the bottom step. In her hands was a pair of pajamas. The brother sister duo watched as Elizabeth began to talk to her son while she started to change him.

 _"_ _Cam, come here sweetie," Liz said as she got right at his level and used a very calm tone. Then she asked, "Do you know why I had you stand there and wait in timeout?"_

 _"_ _I tried to get Rora to race me and she's not posed to," Cameron said innocently as he tried to bat his eyes at his mother who was having none of it._

 _"_ _Cameron, you remember Aurora's booboos?"_

 _Cameron nodded and then said, "Yes, mommy."_

 _"_ _Baby, we have to go to special heart doctor to make sure that it's okay for Aurora to run. The accident really hurt her. If we don't check her first, and she plays too rough or runs too fast her heart could stop beating and that would be real bad."_

 _"_ _Would she be wif the angels?"_

 _"_ _Yes, that would be a very real possibility," Liz said as she finished getting Cameron dressed in his pajamas._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Mommy. I don't want her to go to the angels. She's my best friend," Cameron said._

 _Liz looked at Cameron with tears in her eyes, "Baby you don't have to be sorry, just try to remember that we have to help Aurora by not allowing her to run too much, which means for now and until I tell you, no more racing, okay?"_

 _"_ _Okay Mommy, I promise."_

 _"_ _That's my good boy," Liz said as she leaned forward and gave him the biggest wet kiss he ever had._

 _"_ _Hey mommy, do you have a best friend?"_

 _"_ _I do. I have a couple actually."_

 _"_ _You can have more than one?" Liz shook her head yes, "Who's your best friends?" Cameron asked._

 _Liz smiled and thought for a moment, "Well my best friend that's a girl is Aunt Emily," Liz said._

 _"_ _Ooh, I love Aunt Emily," Cameron said, "She's the funnest sitter I know."_

Emily smiled as she observed the conversation taking place on the screen, and wiped a tear away.

 _At that moment, Aurora who had gone to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and gotten dressed at her aunt's request joined them on the stairs._

 _"_ _It's alright, Aurora. Come here dolly. We were just talking about best friends," Liz said to her niece who looked like she felt she was interrupting, "Sweetie don't be shy, you're always welcome to join us."_

 _"_ _Cameron is my best friend," Aurora said as she wrapped her little arm around Cameron's neck and hugged him tightly._

 _"_ _Well, that's good, because he said that you were his."_

 _Aurora smiled at this, "Did you say Miss Emily was your best friend Aunt Lizzie?"_

 _"_ _She sure is, but I have two more. One of my other best friends is Uncle Nik."_

 _"_ _He gives the best piggy back rides, but don't tell daddy Lucky or he will yell,' Aurora acknowledged what Cameron said by shaking her in agreement as if she'd been witness to the crazy all along (which she hadn't, but best friends agree anyway) Whose you're other best friend, Mommy?"_

 _"_ _My other best friend is Jason. Do you remember him Cameron?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, he pushed me on the Chuggin' Charlie scooter by the docs."_

 _"_ _He sure did."_

 _"_ _If he's one of your best friends how come we don't see him lots?"_

At this Jason teared up. He felt like a world class jerk, but he continued to watch wanting to hear Elizabeth's answer. For her part, Emily patted Jason's shoulder as she knew this was hard to watch.

 _Liz had to organize her thoughts before she continued, "Well Cameron, you see Jason has a job where he protects people. He protects his boss and his friends and family from all sorts of villains. He's even saved my life a time or two."_

 _"_ _Really, can you tell us?"_

 _"_ _Not tonight it's getting so late."_

 _"_ _Please!" said Aurora._

 _"_ _Nope, but maybe tomorrow. I still have a lot to do tonight. I will tell you this. Several months ago I was real sad. Someone had hurt my feelings really badly, and I went to see my good friend Jason. He was sad too! We talked for a while and we made each other feel better. He saved my heart from breaking and gave me one of the best gifts ever?"_

 _"_ _Ooh, what was that Aunt Lizzie?"_

 _"_ _This little guy right here," Elizabeth said as she rubbed her belly lovingly with a big smile on her face._

 _"_ _Is Jason my little brother's dad?" Cameron asked._

 _"_ _Yes," Liz said._

 _Liz leaned forward and kissed the two kids on the cheek with the mushiest wettest kiss she could muster._

 _"_ _Eww, mom germs."_

 _"_ _Aunt Lizzie, they're sticky kisses," Aurora giggled._

 _"_ _Mom germs! I'll give you mom germs," Elizabeth said as she began to tickle Cameron and Aurora. After a minute she stopped and got up, "Come on Cam, Aurora. I still have to get all the stuff from the SUV, and you two need to get to bed. We have a lot of stuff to pick up before construction starts on Monday, and we only have three days to do it."_

 _"_ _Can we still sleep with you tonight?"_

 _"_ _Sure sweetie, I don't have your beds set up, and I have more that I want to do with your rooms. Plus I feel more comfortable with us all together anyway," Liz said as she urged the kids up the stairs._

"Her note to me didn't indicate the gender of the baby. She said he or she," Jason said.

"Oh, well I went with her last week to see Kelly. Liz finally got an ultrasound that confirmed it. Your son had been reluctant to show the goods before a live studio audience that consisted of three nosey women one of which was his mother, so she must have written you note before she knew the gender."

At this Jason smiled and thought, 'I'm going to have a son.'

Emily and Jason sat quietly as they waited 15 minutes before they noticed Elizabeth coming down the stairs. It was clear that she had changed into some yoga pants and a t-shirt. Again she stopped to look in the mirror that was on the wall by the end of the stairs. Now that the scarf that was on top of her head was gone she could see the damage.

 _"_ _Good Lord look at my hair." Liz complained loudly as she talked to herself, "It's like something out of the 'Bride of Frankenstein.' I'm going to need a chisel to work my way through this mess. Maybe I should just chop it all off. I really don't have time to worry about this. So tired," as she let out yawn and opened the front door._

Jason and Emily couldn't contain their laughter at her antics.

"Poor Liz. She was probably such a wreck when she left that she didn't have time to bring her flat iron and big curlers."

"Big curlers?" Jason asked as he lifted one eyebrow in curiosity.

"Haven't you ever wondered how Elizabeth gets her normally unruly hair to cooperate into the stunning mass of beautiful flowing curls and waves that you see at the hospital?"

"I just sort of thought she woke up that way."

"Well, much to my frustration, Liz wakes up with a naturally gorgeous face, but the beautiful princess hair takes some work to accomplish."

Jason nodded in understanding and they quieted down say they could spy on poor Liz, but at that moment Carly came in through the door.

"Hey Jase, Emily," Carly greeted them, "I need to speak to Jason about something that we're working on, so if you don't mind Emily could you maybe step out for a minute?"

"Carly, Emily is in on the plan. Not that there's much of one yet."

"Elizabeth is my best friend, let's just all work together to get her home."

"Well I just spoke to Bobbie, and Elizabeth did go and see her about two weeks ago, and pleaded with her to speak with either you or Sonny about added protection for me, the boys, and Lulu."

"Of course she did. That's what Liz does. Takes care of others."

"I've never been fond of her, but I never said that she wasn't good to those around her. I've just always felt that she wasn't good enough for Jason, and she wasn't strong enough for his lifestyle. I don't want to see him with a broken heart."

"Carly, Elizabeth is one of the bravest most selfless people that I know. There's not much she can't handle under pressure."

"I'm starting to see that Emily. Are you staying here now?" Carly asked as noticed the duffle bag.

"Yeah, it appears that Tom Baker broke into my locker and Elizabeth's and left both of us presents."

"What kind of presents?" Carly asked with disgust.

"Well first he replaced our clothes with burgundy dresses, and then he left me a message on my locker door about when he blackmailed me. He put photos up of Myself, Elizabeth and Aurora, and if that wasn't bad enough left a handwritten letters letting us know how badly wished to rape all of us."

Carly cringed in response, "I'm sorry that happened, Em. Is this what Elizabeth has been dealing with the last couple of months?"

"We think so," said Jason as he continued to watch Elizabeth set up some presents in the kitchen for the kids.

"Months?" Emily piped up, "Try years. Tom Baker sent a letter to Liz every Valentine's Day since he was arrested. Since, he wasn't sent to prison on her rape, he could harass her as much as he wanted, and unlike these letters he was never this sexually explicit, that is until the statute of limitations was up last year."

"She never mentioned it," Jason said with concern.

"Liz preferred to ignore it. She's always been determined not to let him win."

All three heads turned towards the computer as the phone in Elizabeth's kitchen started to ring.

"Jason, you know where she is and you're spying on her?" Carly asked, "Would you look at her hair."

 _"_ _Ciao, chi e questo?" (Hello, who is this?)_

"Can it, Carly!" Emily said in return. Let us watch.

 _"_ _Oh, hi Anna. I'm going to put you on speaker if that is okay?" Elizabeth said as put her cell phone on speaker._

"Oh, calm down. It's funny because Elizabeth's hair is usually so nicely done that it's hard to imagine her hair so out of sorts." Carly said as she watched Elizabeth on the camera feed playing out over Jason's laptop.

"Well, she had to leave in a hurry." Jason replied to Carly who was standing behind him and then turned back to the conversation that Elizabeth was having with Anna.

 _"_ _What are you up to Elizabeth?" Anna asked trying to gage Elizabeth's state of being._

 _"_ _Well we met with the contractors today. It was hilarious. I will have to tell you sometime. Then I took the kids to Florence and we picked up my brand new 'Range Rover.' Then I met with a midwife and I scheduled to have an at home visit this week. Then I took the kids toy shopping and we went to dinner and came home. It was a full day."_

"Did she just say midwife?" Jason asked.

Emily nodded in affirmation.

"That's what I heard, but why would she do that? There has to be hospitals in Italy that are capable of delivering a healthy baby," said Carly.

"Shhhh Carly, I want to hear this," Emily said.

 _"_ _Elizabeth are you sure you want to go through with a midwife? I know a lot of women swear by it, but you could have complications."_

 _"_ _Anna, your concern is noted and I will consider it. The truth is I'm scared to have this baby at a hospital where Helena can find me and take him. I will feel more secure at home."_

 _"_ _Do you want me to reach out to the father or perhaps Lucky?"_

 _"_ _My God Anna, no! I will reach out to the baby's father when the baby arrives. He's busy dealing with personal issues of his own. He's not obligated to look after me. I am. As for Lucky, I don't want him near me or any of my children," Liz said defiantly._

 _"_ _Well if you're sure," Anna said._

 _"_ _I am. Anna, why did you really call?"_

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _I mean, you're a world class spy, and I find it hard to believe that you'd be interested in what transpired in my life today."_

 _"_ _You have me there. Although, now that I've gotten to know you, I can see why Robin loves you so much. You're a good person, Liz. Aside from that, I've looked over your record and noted that in the last 9 years or so life has really given you the shaft. The real reason for my call is that I've gotten word from the State Department regarding the disappearance of your parents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo."_

 _"_ _This isn't going to be good. Is it, Anna?" Liz said while sitting down in the chair in the kitchen._

 _"_ _I'm afraid that it's looking rather grim, Love. It seems your parents were out in the field back in January. The convoy they were with was attacked and they haven't been seen since. I have agents looking into it, but Liz this is very grave."_

 _"_ _Doesn't the LRA work out of that region?" Liz said as she sniffled._

 _"_ _In the northeast. They infiltrate down from the Sudan, but your parents were in the southwest region of the Congo"_

 _"_ _So are you saying that you don't think that the LRA is behind this?"_

 _"_ _No, it's just that everyone that was in the vicinity was executed with a single bullet straight to the head."_

 _"_ _And?" Elizabeth asked as she noticeably started to tremble._

 _"_ _The LRA are particularly gruesome. No children were shot, but children were part of the convoy. The LRA doesn't discriminate. They will shoot anyone, and those they don't shoot they kidnap and ask for ransom. There's no ransom request for your parents."_

 _"_ _Well who do you think did this then? You must have an idea."_

 _"_ _We've had unsubstantiated reports that Russian mercenaries may have done this, and AK-47s were the brand of the weapon used, which admittedly is what just about everyone terrorist cell uses, but these were clean kills."_

 _"_ _Russian Mercs in the Congo? Russian, you mean Helena?"_

 _"_ _Presumably yes, she has ties to the Russian Mafia, which means she would have access to Russian Mercs."_

 _Elizabeth felt sick. "So your saying your my parents may have been killed two months ago by Helena? I just don't get what's so special about what she believes is Lucky's baby that she would go to these lengths?" Elizabeth asked shaken._

 _"_ _I don't know. I'm going to speak to Luke soon."_

 _"_ _Good luck with that old relic."_

 _"_ _What is that supposed to mean?"_

 _"_ _That means that Luke will dangle some information in front of you but it will be intended to take you on a wild goose chase. He doesn't want the queen taken down. He lives for this stupid adventure. Meanwhile, an association with him has now more than likely cost me nearly my entire family."_

 _"_ _Speaking of which were you able to contact your sister Sarah?"_

 _"_ _No, and that is the worst part. None of my family is particularly close especially Sarah and me, but for the life of me I just can't understand why she would ignore the warning. After all she's heard the story. I begged her to leave with me."_

 _"_ _Well I promise I will check into your parent's and sister's disappearance and get back to you as soon as I can."_

 _"_ _Thanks Anna."_

 _"_ _Chin up dear, we'll talk soon."_

 _"_ _Anna, I'm definitely interested in some of those security upgrades that you spoke about."_

 _"_ _We'll talk tomorrow and I will get the particulars from you."_

 _"_ _Okay Anna, talk to you then."_

 _"_ _Get some rest if you can, Elizabeth."_

 _"_ _I'll try," and with that both women hung up._

 _Elizabeth was sitting at the table with one hand supporting her face, tears were slowly pouring down and she finally said what was on her mind loud enough for the audio on the cameras to pick up, "Damn you Helena. If you've had my family taken out, I will spend every ounce of my time getting revenge on you, but unlike Luke, I will kill you," Elizabeth said as she broke down in tears._

"Oh my God, Jason. This is serious I've never heard her say she was willing to kill anyone. I think she's at her breaking point. We have to get to her."

"Yeah, but we have to do this carefully, Em. I can't leave you behind and if Helena is in anyway tracking you it could lead her people right to Elizabeth and the children. I'm not willing to risk it just yet. I will be placing extra men that we have over there on her. While we work out the logistics of getting to her ourselves"

"I have to go, Jase. I forgot to tell you before. Mama, said that Lucky went undercover and is on a new case so you shouldn't have to worry about him for now. Keep me in the loop," Carly said as she looked at the screen and then added, "For what it's worth Jase, I've never been fond of Elizabeth, but even I know that she doesn't deserve this. She's been good to the people in my family and I know she's saved your life a couple of times, so I'm in, and there will be no betraying Elizabeth. It'll just take some time getting used to her."

 _"_ _Aunt Lizzie, Aunt Lizzie! I had a bad dream about the accident," Aurora came into the kitchen screaming._

The three adults talking looked at the screen.

 _Elizabeth quickly wiped her tears away as if they never existed, "Come here, sweetheart," Elizabeth said opening her arms._

"I take it that is Elizabeth's niece?"

Emily nodded yes, "Her name is Aurora. She's very sweet."

 _"_ _I'm so sorry, Aurora."_

 _"_ _What was your dream about?"_

 _"_ _The big truck was coming right towards us."_

 _"_ _Oh, Aurora. I'm so sorry, but the truck isn't here, and we're safe and warm now. Aunt Lizzie, will protect you."_

 _"_ _Aunt Lizzie, I don't want to lose you. Will you promise that you won't go away like my mommy and daddy?"_

 _"_ _I promise that I will do my best to always be here for you. You and your cousins are so worth fighting for."_


	11. Chapter 11

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

Chapter 11) Death Becomes of Her

Thursday 7:00 PM Pacific Standard Time

"Yeah, I'm pulling up to the house now. The car is in the drive way," Office Diaz said as he pulled into the driveway.

The dispatcher came over line, "Hospital says that she hasn't shown up to work in two days."

Officer Diaz came around the corner to the front of the house.

"Be advised, the front door is open on the welfare check," Diaz said to the dispatcher as he knocked on the door that was ajar, "This is Officer Diaz from the LAPD. Is anyone home?" He knocked again with the same result.

"This is L99, Dispatch be advised door is ajar and the home owner isn't answering on this welfare call. Officer Diaz tried again, "This is Officer Diaz if you're here please answer. If you need help I can have someone help you."

"L99 to Dispatch. Do I have permission to enter if it appears there may be exigent circumstances? The door to the home is open and the homeowner isn't answering."

The dispatcher answered, "L99 hold your position. I'm connecting you to Captain Jaurez."

There was some static during the transfer but then Captain Jaurez came on the line, "Diaz, dispatch says you're on a welfare check, but the door is open and no one is answering."

"That's correct, Captain."

"I'm on my way now, go ahead and do an initial sweep to see if the homeowner is there, and possibly incapacitated. If they're simply not home then we'll lock up and leave a message for them on the door."

Officer Diaz did a thorough search of the first floor. Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing was knocked over and no vandalism seemed to have occurred. By time Officer Diaz had finished the first floor sweep his watch commander Captain Jaurez showed up to provide back up.

"Hey Captain, there's no sign of the homeowner or anyone else on the first floor."

"You head upstairs and I'll cover you."

"Okay, Captain."

Officer Diaz and Captain Jaurez slowly made their way up the homeowner's stairs, when they came to the top they noticed a strange odor emanating from the bedroom closest to them. Diaz went to cover his mouth. As they moved forward they decided it would be good to put their gloves on because it was clear that whatever they were about to walk into would not be good.

Captain Jaurez slowly made his way around Officer Diaz, and pushed the door open slightly. The light in the room was off. Captain Jaurez flipped the light switch on and gasped at the horrific scene splayed out before him.

"Oh Dios Mio," Officer Diaz said as he entered the room. Being a relatively new police officer he had never been exposed to something so grizzly.

"Dispatch, L60 on the welfare call. We have a 187, call the coroner and crime scene unit."

"I've never seen anything like it. Have you?" Officer Diaz asked the Captain.

"Not like this."

On the bed, lay a young woman, wearing a fuchsia pink spaghetti strap dress. Her hands were tied to the posts at the head of the bed. Her arms and legs were covered in bruises from rough handling. Her brown eyes were open but expressionless and had started to decay. Her sandy blonde hair was strewn about the pillows, and her legs were left open in a sexually suggestive manner.

On the wall was a message, "Not a sound." It was written repeatedly. Flower petals were scattered around the room and at one point a couple of candles were lit.

"This woman didn't die easily. Look at the slit across her throat. That's deep. Go downstairs and start blocking off the scene. We're going to have to find a way to notify the next of kin too."

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9:00 AM Cortona, Italy.

"Time to wake up you two. We have a lot to do. Don't make me unleash the tickle monster."

"I'm up Aunt Lizzie."

"Go use the potty, and meet me downstairs for breakfast."

"Okay."

Cameron laid still, pretending to sleep the only thing giving him away was the fluttering of his eyes and the big smile on his face. "Get up, Cameron. I can see your smile. After Aurora gets done in bathroom you can meet us downstairs for breakfast."

Liz made her way downstairs and started to prepare eggs and cut up the remaining food they had left. She had a lot to do, and the first thing she wanted to take care of was having someone come out to handle the scorpion situation that lingered in the basement.

Aurora came around the corner yawning and then noticed the presents on the table. "Oh wow Aunt Lizzie, they're soooo cute. I love Minnie and Daisy!"

"Me too sweetie. I figured you and Cameron would like to play and snuggle with them."

"They're so soft."

Cameron came into the kitchen and saw the stuffed animals sitting on the table.

"Look Cameron, your mommy gots us stuffed aminals."

"You mean A-n-i-m-a-l-s," Liz said slowly trying to help correct her niece.

"Yeah, Aunt Lizzie that's what I said, aminals," Aurora said certain that she'd gotten it right this time.

Liz shook her head at her Aurora's cute, but failed attempt.

Cameron sat down at the table and picked up his Mickey and Donald, "Hey Aurora! We can play together after breakfast."

"That'll be so much fun."

Liz dipped out the eggs and set the plates before the kids. She held off on her breakfast and decided to give Signore Dellapenta a call regarding the extermination of the scorpions.

The phone rang, on the other end but he didn't answer, so she decided to leave a message after the beep, "Signore Dellepenta this is Elizabeth Cerio, I was just wondering if you could point me in the direction of a good exterminator, we seem have quite a few scorpions, and I don't really want dwell among them. So if you could give me a call back that would be wonderful. Have a great day, Ciao!"

Liz put the phone down and decided to eat.

"Okay you two give me your plates and you two can play while I clean these dishes."

"Come on Aurora. We can play doctor with your new kit and fix our sluffed animals," Cameron said, as he waited for Aurora to follow in his direction.

Liz laughed, "Cameron you mean s-t-u-f-f-e-d, not sluffed," Liz said shaking her head. These kids were killing her in the best possible way.

Even though she'd gotten heavy news about what might have happened to her parents she was glad that the kids were able to bring a lightness to her world.

Liz had just finished washing the dishes when there was a knock at the door. Naturally, both curious and worried, she quietly walked towards the door to see if she could figure out who it was. She really only knew one person here in town, and she had just tried to call him and he didn't answer so she figured it wouldn't be him.

"Liz, don't be afraid it's Francis Corelli."

"Francis? Francis!" Liz said as she opened the door with great excitement.

"Francis," Liz said through tears, "I can't believe you're here."

"Hey Kiddo, I thought you could use some help. I've been keeping an eye on you since you got to Switzerland."

"Really, wow. How unobservant am I?"

"Well to be fair you seemed a bit preoccupied with the kids."

"That's one word for it," Liz said as she moved out of the way so Francis could come inside.

"This is some place you have here."

Liz held up her hand as if to stop him, "Hey if you're going to mock my humble commode, I mean abode, you can head back on out."

"I think you had it right the first time, Elizabeth."

"Funny, Francis," Liz said smiling. She'd always enjoyed their banter, "I'm so happy to see you. If you've been observing me for the last few days, why didn't you say anything before?"

"I kind of got the sense that you were in some sort of danger," Francis paused before continuing, "and based on the fact that you're not denying it, I would say that I'm not wrong with my assessment. I didn't want to scare you."

"Oh. You could never scare me Francis. What brought you to Switzerland, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Banking. I worked the casino down on Sonny's Island, and I needed to open an account. I actually saw you at the airport though. Liz why didn't you go to Jason if you were in trouble? He'd help you?"

"I'm sure that he would've, but he's done so much for me and he's trying to work things out with Sam, and well Sam has good reason not to like me. It was just better if I stayed away. Jason has this need to help save the people in his life, and right now he didn't need the distraction that I would bring to him. I mean what kind of friend constantly interrupts his world in order to be saved. It's just not fair to do that. Plus Helena and Tom Baker are the reasons that I left, and are my problems, not Jason's."

"Why is Helena after you?"

"Honestly, I'm not completely sure. I know that she's wanted me dead since before I faked my death. I know the timing of it has to do with the baby. She believes that the baby is Lucky's, but it's not."

"It's Jason's."

"He told you?"

"Yeah, yesterday on the phone."

"Oh, so he knows where I am?" Francis shook his head yes, "Well I suppose that makes sense since you work for him. Come with me to the kitchen Francis."

Liz led Francis to the kitchen and he took a seat, and began an uncomfortable conversation to catch Francis up.

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Jason had fallen asleep on the couch the night before. It was around 3:00 AM and commotion could be heard on the computer that was monitoring Elizabeth. It's was about 9:00 AM in Italy. To say that he hadn't left his spot wouldn't be an understatement. Last night left him feeling a myriad of emotions. For him it had always been that way where Elizabeth was concerned. He spent years trying to tamp those emotions down, but they always smoldered under the surface. Sometimes all he had to do was see her smile and everything that had been pent up for years came right to the surface. To see her try to brave the dangers that were surrounding her all on her own made him admire her all the more. Unlike everyone else in his life with the possible exception of his sister and his late grandmother Lila, Elizabeth was the only one who gave him anything without expecting anything in return. If he chose to help her, he knew she would find a way to make it fair in her own mind, never wanting to be indebted to anyone. Looking at the screen Jason watched as the children that he planned on making his ate and played together. The children were precious and so well-behaved, a clear indication that as a parent and despite being overwhelmed, Elizabeth knew what she was doing.

 _"_ _Signore Dellepenta this is Elizabeth Cerio, I was just wondering if you could point me in the direction of a good exterminator, we seem have quite a few scorpions, and I don't really want dwell among them. So if you could give me a call back that would be wonderful. Have a great day, Ciao!"_

Jason smiled at the message she left. Elizabeth made him smile like nobody else. It was impossible to fathom how someone could be so polite, sweet, loyal, smart, selfless, and beyond beautiful at the same time. Elizabeth was kind-hearted to people who didn't deserve it, and he wasn't sure that he deserved her, but she had conveyed her love her him in the letter she left him, and with every action she did in the last year. He would be a fool to keep denying how he felt.

'I'm not going to be able to wait to see her. I can't wait to tell her how much I love her. I should've mentioned this a long time ago.'

Jason noticed that someone was knocking on the door, and smiled. The door opened and he watched as Elizabeth talked with Francis.

They talked for a moment and before Francis followed Elizabeth into the kitchen at her urging. It was at this point that Jason felt comfortable enough to fall back asleep.

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"Wow, Elizabeth. I don't know what to say. Jason didn't tell me all of that. I'm sorry about your grandmother and brother. Your niece is awfully cute. Are you enjoying raising her despite the circumstances?"

"Thanks, Francis. I just thought you should know what's transpired this year and why it got to this point. I love Aurora so much. I couldn't love her more if I gave birth to her myself. I always wanted a little girl."

"So kiddo, what are your plans today?"

"I have some errands to run. I'm going to buy the kids some more clothes and I wanted to update their rooms. I plan on painting their walls in the near future and adding murals to all three rooms."

"What are you planning on doing, Francis?"

"Protecting you, obviously."

"Weren't you supposed to be on vacation?"

"I'm spending my vacation with you kiddo. Don't fight me on this."

Liz just stared open-mouthed. It felt good to have an ally. Someone who knew all of that would be there to help her take a breath on occasion. At that moment, Cameron bounded jubilantly around the corner.

"Mommy, can I have something to dwink?"

"Sure baby. Cameron I want you to meet one of mommy's friends from home. This is Francis," Liz said gesturing to Francis, "Francis this my son Cameron. I don't think you've met him."

Francis took the little boy's hand in his and shook it firmly, "Aren't you a handsome young man. It's nice to meet you. You look like your mommy."

Liz took that moment to get up and pour Cameron and Aurora each a cup of juice. "Here Cameron," Liz said handing him his drink. "Let Aurora know that I poured her a drink too."

"Thank you, Mommy. I'll tell her," and with that Cameron bounced right back out of the room with an equal amount of jubilance as displayed when he entered.

A minute later Aurora warily came around the corner. "Aunt Lizzie, can I please have a drink too!"

"Sure sweetie," Liz said handing Aurora a cup.

Aurora gently took the cup and lifted it to her lips never taking her eyes off the new visitor. Liz noticed this and spoke up, "Aurora, this is Aunt Lizzie's dear friend Francis."

Aurora walked up to him and said, "Hello," as she waved gently and gave Francis a bright smile.

"Hello Beautiful Aurora. It's nice to meet you."

Aurora let out a giggle as she whispered to Elizabeth, "Aunt Lizzie, he thinks I'm beau-ti-ful."

Liz laughed as Aurora annunciated each syllable. "That's because it's true sweet girl."

Francis chuckled to himself.

"Aurora go pick out an outfit and meet me at the bathroom. We've got errands to run today."

"Okay, Aunt Lizzie."

Aurora left to do as she was instructed.

"I take it you're coming with me today?"

"Yep."

"Okay, well we're going to go get ready and will go in about an hour."

"Okay. Take your time. I'm being going wherever you go from here on out."

"If you talk to Jason, tell him I said thanks."

"Why don't you call him and tell him."

"Remember, Jason is trying to work on things with Sam. I don't want to ruin it for him and at the same time I don't want him to think that I'm ungrateful. If I were to call him at the wrong time and Sam find out that could cause Jason real problems."

"He could never think that about you Elizabeth," Francis chose not to say anymore because he felt that this conversation should be had between Jason and Elizabeth.

"We're just going to have to agree to disagree," and with that Elizabeth left the kitchen solemnly to get herself and the kids ready.

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Jason jolted upward from his position on the couch as he heard a banging noise from outside. He'd given Cody the night off before, so there was no one there to stop someone from knocking. For the most part he was his own security.

"Jason Morgan open up. I know that you're there."

Jason quickly shut his laptop, and begrudgingly got up from the couch to answer the door. It was only 9:00 AM and he knew that Emily would still be asleep and didn't want her disturbed by the loud knocking.

Jason roughly opened the door to reveal an arrogant Ric Lansing. To say that Jason loathed Ric wouldn't be inaccurate. "What do you want Ric?"

"You gonna let me in, Morgan? What I have to say really shouldn't discussed in a hallway."

Jason opened the door slightly and moved out of the way. "I don't have anything to say to you, Ric. You know that. Take whatever issues you have up with my attorney."

"Word is you dumped Sam for Elizabeth. Do you really think it's wise to drag someone like Elizabeth and her innocent children into your lifestyle? I think she can find someone better suited."

"Is this really what you came over here to address with me, my relationships? And I suppose, by better suited you mean yourself."

"Naturally, I'm better suited for Elizabeth. Actually, I came here to speak with Elizabeth. I've checked everywhere and no one will tell me her whereabouts. What I have to tell her can't wait."

"She's not here, Ric."

"Yeah sure. Elizabeth, I need to speak with you." Ric shouted throughout the penthouse.

"She's not here."

"Do you know where she is?"

Jason gave no answer.

"I'll take your silence as a yes."

"Jeez, Ric why are you yelling?" came from a rumpled Emily as she walked down the stairs.

"Emily, Why are you here?"

"I don't know if you're aware, but Jason is my brother so I can visit him whenever I feel like it. That's how families work…Well maybe not your family."

"Fine, Emily. Where's Elizabeth?"

"I don't know Ric. All she told me was that she was fleeing the country due to the threats that Helena and Tom Baker represented."

"That's why I'm here. It seems that Tom Baker struck again only this time the woman didn't live."

"Who was it Ric?" Emily demanded which startled Ric, "The woman, who was it?"

"I came to inform Elizabeth as a courtesy so she could hear it from me."

"Well as you can see she's not here, but when I find her and talk to her I'll pass it along. Now who was attacked by Tom?"

"I shouldn't be telling you, but since you're the person he stalked I guess it wouldn't be completely imprudent. It was Elizabeth's older sister Sarah Webber."

Emily let out a gasp at hearing this.

"She didn't show up for her shift at the hospital two days in a row and the hospital called the police and asked them to check on her. The front door was left ajar, and the police went in to investigate. Sarah had been tied to the bed, raped, and she had markings on her neck that suggested asphyxiation, the perp finished the job by slitting her throat."

"Oh my God, poor Sarah," Emily said as she started to tremble.

"So you see this is why I needed to get in touch with Elizabeth. She needs to know," Ric said before adding, "You sure you don't know where she is Jason?"

Jason kept his gaze neutral to not expose the anger he was feeling. He knew Elizabeth was not close with her sister, but that didn't mean that Elizabeth would ever wish anything to happen to her. Elizabeth would be devastated when she found out, and he wasn't sure how much more she could take given all that had happened.

"Well, I'll leave you then," Ric said as he left Jason's Penthouse.

When the door to the elevator shut, Emily spoke, "Jason, we have to get to her. She can't go through this alone. Tom is such a sick prick."

"Are we even sure that Tom did this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Tom would have had to have been on a plane to accomplish this. Didn't Sarah live in California?"

"Yes, she did. Helena could've flown Tom though."

"That's true, but he would have to move with stealth to kill Sarah and get back in time to mess with your locker and Elizabeth's and remain unseen."

Jason picked up his phone and called Stan, after two rings Stan picked up.

"Hey Stan, I need you to see if you can pull up any information on a Tom Baker/Yergin, and any recent flights to or from California or anywhere out west for that matter that he may have been on in the last 96 to 72 hours, and get back to me asap."

Stan took a moment to reply.

"Thanks, Stan." Jason said as he hung up.

"Emily, I'm going upstairs to pack my bags, and then we'll stop by your place and get you more of your clothes. We're leaving, but please don't breathe a word of it to anyone. I will find a way for you to get in touch with Nik and Monica. Don't worry about your passport, I have an alternate one with your new name on it."

"Okay. I have faith in you, Jase."

Jason ran upstairs to pack his bags and Emily went and changed into a new outfit that was in her duffle.

'Don't worry Elizabeth, I'm coming for you. It's time you found out just what I feel about you,' Jason thought as he smiled to himself and felt a wave of relief wash over him.


	12. Chapter 12

I don't own ABC, General Hospital or Under the Tuscan Sun. I also don't own any of the characters therein. I don't own Range Rover, Land Rover, my own plane. Basically, I'm still poor with a lot of time on my hands.

Chapter 12.) Reunited

It wasn't but 30 minutes since Ric had left that Jason and Emily were already on the way to the mansion. With any luck they would land in Florence by 11:00 PM and make it to Elizabeth's by midnight.

"Okay, take the side entrance up to your room."

"I made a list while you were packing. I know what I need to get and shouldn't take me long at all," Emily said as she got out of the car and made her way into the house. Luckily, Monica was at work and Tracy was out of town. Since it was Friday, around noon that meant Alice should be picking up the dry cleaning.

Emily entered the mansion from the side entrance and made her way upstairs. She'd been splitting her time between the mansion and Wyndemere now that they were a couple again. Everything had been happening so fast, between their reconciliation, Spencer's kidnapping, the hostage crisis, her dad's death, and now with Tom Baker and Helena, she too needed a moment to take a breath.

She quickly got out a larger duffle, and grabbed clothes for a longer stay. Her smaller duffle was in the SUV with Jason and Cody.

Luckily, it didn't take her that long to pack. She deposited a letter for Monica in the top shelf of her bedside table. Jason had read it and approved it, because it was incredibly vague.

Emily, walked down the back staircase and made her way out the side entrance. She quickly got into Jason's SUV and they took off to a private airstrip.

Jason had called ahead to have the plane filled with enough jet fuel to make it halfway around the globe before having to stop for more fuel.

The drive took about 20 minutes. Jason grabbed his bag, and Emily's larger duffle and Cody took the smaller one and put it on the plane for her.

"Thanks, Cody," Emily said, "You didn't have to do that."

"It was my pleasure! A lady like yourself should never have to carry her own bag when there are gentlemen around to do it for you."

"That's very thoughtful."

Jason looked over at Cody and said, "Here's the deal. No one goes into my penthouse while I'm gone. If Sam forgot something that's tough, because she'll have to make do without it. I've moved money over for her to get a condo or small house, so she won't need to be staying at my place. Also, Sonny knows I'm headed out of town. He doesn't know where. It's going to stay that way. I want a guard on Monica, and Bobbie. I want two guards on Carly and a guard for each of the boys. I spoke with Jax about the dangers that Helena could be presenting. I have feelers out trying to find Luke, and Lucky is supposedly working undercover. If you need anything you know the number to call, and I'll get back to you. There will be no compromises in safety. I have too much to lose. Is that understood?"

"It's affirmative. Safe travels, Jason," Cody said then directed his attention to Emily, "Dr. Quartermaine," as he nodded in her direction and exited the plane.

"Go buckle up, I need to speak with the flight crew," Jason directed to Emily

Jason made his way to the cockpit. The pilot was someone that had been with the company for years.

"Hello Mr. Morgan."

"Hello Cal,"

"Where are we flying today?"

"Just take off and head toward the Atlantic and I'll let you know. I hope you're well rested."

Cal let out a chuckle while another man came up behind Jason, dressed in a pilot's uniform, "This is Joe Dirkly, my co-pilot. He's new to the company. I don't know if you met him yet."

Joe extended his hand to Jason and Jason took it and shook it in his firm grip, "Nice to meet you Mr. Morgan."

"Likewise Mr. Dirkly."

"Meeka, is your flight attendant. The fridge is fully stocked so let her know if you need anything. Go get seated and we'll close the doors and clear the tower for takeoff.

"Thanks," Jason said in return and then turned around to walk back and take a seat. On his way, he noticed the new flight attendant or it was rather clear that she noticed him.

The flight attendant walked up to him with a flirty smile as she waved and twirled her hair with her fingers like only a ditz can do, "You must be Mr. Morgan. I'll be your flight attendant, I'm Meeka," she said as she took the presumptuous opportunity to take her hand and grip Jason's thigh.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

"I'll be your flight attendant, and I plan to attend to all of your needs," the red-head stated as she arched one eyebrow suggestively, and licked her bright red-fire painted lips.

"Take your hand off my leg."

"Just what in the hell are you doing to my brother's leg?" yelled Emily who'd had her thoughts interrupted as she'd been gazing out the window.

"I was attending to his needs. There's no need to get all upset."

"Yes, there is. He's spoken for. Now get off of him you harlot."

Cal left his seat when he heard the commotion.

"Is there a problem Mr. Morgan?" the pilot asked.

"Yes, she won't take her hands off of him."

"I believe he was asking Mr. Morgan, not you lady. You don't want me to stop do you? I can guarantee you a flight that you won't soon forget. Mr. Corinthos can vouch for me as he is a part of my frequent flyer club," Meeka said as she looked at Jason wantonly.

Jason extracted Meeka's hand from his leg, and said rather pointedly, "I'm taken."

Meeka took the opportunity to whisper in Jason's ear, "I don't see a ring on your finger and I don't see your girlfriend on the plane. What she doesn't know won't hurt her,"

"I would know. And no offense, while you're nice looking and all, you can't hold a candle to my lady."

Jason then looked over at Cal and said, "I want her off the plane. We can heat up food and pour drinks on our own. We'll be fine."

Emily strolled up to the strawberry tart, grabbed her by the arm and escorted her roughly to the door. Meeka stumbled as she was being dragged to the door and reluctantly left the aircraft. Cal closed and sealed the door, as the door was closing she could be heard mumbling something about Emily being an 'indignant cock-block.'

Joe came over the speaker and said, "We've been cleared for takeoff."

"Buckle up, Ma'am," Cal said to Emily.

Emily took a seat next to her brother, "We got lucky, Jason."

"How's that?"

"She revealed herself as the harlot that she was before the flight even took off, which means I didn't have to throw her off the plane while we were over the Atlantic. It's a shame really, that's just the kind of therapy I need."

Jason turned to Emily and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"That's one of the many reasons that I love you, Em."

The siblings sat back and prepared for takeoff.

About 20 minutes into the flight Emily looked over at Jason and asked something that had been on her mind, "Hey Jason."

"Yeah," Jason looked at Emily.

"What are you planning on saying to Elizabeth when you see her?"

"I thought I would start off with hello. Why?" Jason said holding back a chuckle as Emily lightly slapped him on the upper arm.

"No, smartass. You know that's not what I meant," Emily paused for a moment gathering her thoughts, "I mean, how are you going to go about trying to convince Elizabeth that you're interested in her for her and not the baby? You know her. She's going to feel that the timing is suspect once she realizes that you weren't aware of the paternity results until a few days ago."

"I've given this a lot of thought. I thought I would start by apologizing for not telling her I loved her sooner. I honestly thought that she would go back to Lucky. No one was more surprised than I was over the last few months that she didn't. I guess now we know why."

"Because you're the father?" Emily asked.

"That may have had something to do with it initially, but she told me repeatedly from the night that we shared together that she wasn't going to get back together with him. Although she did stay with him to help him go through withdrawal."

"Elizabeth still intended on leaving Lucky then, but he convinced her to help see him through. Elizabeth was the most miserable that I'd seen her up until that point." Emily said.

"Elizabeth left me a letter at her studio basically saying that she'd always loved me and wished she had told me sooner, and that she lives with that regret." Jason explained.

"I guess you could say you're both fools in love. You two are going to have to work on your communication skills moving forward. It's like you both go out of your way to avoid acknowledging how you feel about each other. I'm guessing this has to do with all the opposition that you faced from those around you when you tried to be together before, me included. I'm sorry about that Jason."

"Nothing we can do about the past now. All I can do is show up and admit what an idiot I've been, and beg her to forgive me."

"If it were anyone but Elizabeth I'd say you'd have to do a fair amount of groveling to get her to come around, but Elizabeth for whatever reason is always willing to forgive. It's one of things I love most about her," said Emily.

"That is true," Jason replied. "I'm going to go let the pilots in on where we're actually heading."

"Sounds like a solid plan," said Emily mocking her brother.

"Ha ha." Jason replied as he made his way to the front of the plane.

The co-pilot heard someone's approach, looked back and asked, "Is there something you needed, Mr. Morgan?"

"Well, actually I came here to tell you where we're headed."

"That's important to know in our line of work," said Cal.

"Funny. We need to land in Florence."

"Okay, let us contact the towers at the airports that we'll have to stop at and we'll let you know when we get clearance to land in Lisbon and Florence. It'll take about 6 and ½ hours to get to Lisbon, and then an additional two hours to get from Lisbon to Florence."

Jason shook his head in response, turned around to walk back to where he had been seated with his sister. "You may want to get some sleep, Em. It'll be late evening when stop in Lisbon to refuel and early morning when we land in Florence."

"I will soon. I'm going to get a snack first. Are you hungry, Jason?"

"Yeah, let's see what's in the fridge."

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8:00 PM in Cortona

The door opened to the old villa and with it came the excited voices of Cameron and Aurora. Followed by the more exhausted voices of Elizabeth and Francis.

"Let's go play upstairs with our toys Aurora, but we won't race. We'll walk slowly," Cameron said looking over his shoulder at his mother for approval.

"Okay, Cameron."

The children took the stairs at a slow pace and as soon as they reached the top they set about getting their toys out to play.

"I don't get it," said Francis shaking his head.

"You don't get what, Francis?"

"How is it that those two still have energy after all the shopping we've done today, and all the places that we've gone around town? We could make a fortune if we bottled that energy."

"I know what you mean. I would love to still have that childlike exuberance where everything was still interesting, exciting, and new."

"If we could bottle it we could call it Exuberance, by Corelli and Webber, and then we could do one of those cheesy infomercial ads."

"If I'm doing this then my ad is going to be more like a _Calvin Klein_ ad where there's supposed to be a hidden meaning so sexy that no one knows what it is. We could have the ad be in black and white and have people acting out activities that take a lot of energy, and then we could add meaningless phrases to the commercial that leaves everyone wondering about the mystique that is 'Exuberance,' so that they spend all their money trying to capture their youth.

"You've given this a lot of thought haven't you?"

"What else am I going to do? Coming up with fictitious ads for things that don't exist seems like a great way to occupy my time."

"I suppose it does beat the heck out of worrying all the time."

Francis took the opportunity to sit down and open his pocket calendar.

"When is the furniture store bringing the kid's furniture, Liz?"

"Next Wednesday," Liz said with a dreamy smile, "Their rooms are going to be so beautiful. I can't wait to paint them."

"I know they will be beautiful by the time you're finished. What about your living room set?"

"That won't be for a few more weeks. They had to ship it in from another country. Figures."

"What figures?" Francis asked.

"Oh, it just figures that I would really like something and it would be the one thing out of stock, so naturally it will take the longest to get in."

"I'm sure it'll be worth the wait," said Francis reassuringly, "I'm going to get the bags out of the car you stay here and put up your feet."

Before Liz sat down she walked part of the way up the stairs to check on the kids. They were playing nicely in what could be considered the upstairs living room. Liz walked back down stairs and sat down. As she looked at the counter she noticed that the cell phone she'd used to call Signore Dellepenta was blinking indicating that someone had called her and left a message.

Liz played the message on speaker so she could take down whatever information was left for her. As she suspected, it was Signore Dellapenta calling back, "Buon pimeriggio, Signora Cerio. I'm sorry I'm missed your call. I was a-showing some homes. We have a couple places in town that a-specialize in killing da-bugs, but the best is Bug Zapper Exterminators, and their telefono number is (+39) 0056-6786."

Liz took down the information and Francis back in with the final load and looked at Liz.

"Everything okay," Francis asked.

"Yeah, that was my realtor. I called him earlier to ask about getting an exterminator out here to help with the pest problem. I'll call them tomorrow. Just remind me that I don't want to schedule them for Monday or Wednesday. I have construction starting on Monday and I have the kid's furniture on Wednesday."

"It'll all come together soon enough."

"Yeah, I suppose. Thanks for helping pick out a sound system. I think having music around here will help cut the boredom."

"No problem, kiddo. We'll set it up tomorrow. Hey, another thing I've been meaning to ask you is don't need to get you into the doctors? I mean have you decided which hospital you're going to have your baby?"

"Oh that reminds me, a midwife is supposed to be stopping by to take measurements and do an exam on me this week."

"A midwife?" Francis said skeptically, "This isn't the 1800s Elizabeth."

"I know that Francis, but I can't take the chance of Helena finding me and kidnapping my son or harming my other children for that matter. Cameron's already had a rough year. He's seen too much with all of Lucky's yelling and drug addict behavior, and already had to live apart from me for over a month because of it. Then Gram and his uncle Steven were killed. We're no longer near Emily and Nik, so he's out an Aunt and an additional Uncle. Then there's Aurora who lost her only parent and a devoted great-grandmother, because of my affiliation with those damn Spencers."

"I know that at home births have come a long way, but it can be dangerous."

"Francis you know that I appreciate your concern, but I have to protect my children and this is safest thing that I could come up with. It keeps me off the grid. Plus, I'm a nurse. I'm well aware of how dangerous obstetrics can be, but bringing life into this world has always been a somewhat perilous but joyful journey no matter where you choose to have your baby."

"Well if you're sure," Francis said.

"I am for now. Francis, I'm just taking everything day by day," Liz said as she gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, "It's nice to know that someone cares so much!"

Francis didn't say anything but gave a nod.

"Come on, Francis. Let's blow up this mattress so you'll be able to have a moderately comfortable place to rest. Maybe tomorrow you could come help me with furniture for the two rooms down here that need bedroom furniture."

"Sure. I'd be happy to help."

"Thanks Francis. Have I mentioned how thankful I am that you're here?"

"Only 30 times."

"We'll make it 31. I'm glad you're here Francis."

"Me too, Kiddo!"

The two made their way to the living room and blew up the mattress. Luckily, it didn't take long to do. It was an expensive air mattress.

Liz pulled out the new sheets and put them on. "We'll launder these tomorrow. It's getting too late to do that now, and the washer and dryer that came with the house are nearly as old as I am. We're going to have to upgrade that. Babies, while great are messy, as are children, as are clumsy artists/nurses."

Francis smiled at Liz and then asked, "Where are the kids sleeping?"

"For now they sleep with me. I'm just more comfortable with that for now. We're in a strange place, and while I don't want to start any bad habits, considering the threat, I just feel more comfortable with them sleeping with me. At least until their bedroom suites arrive on Wednesday."

"That's fine. We're going to need to upgrade the security significantly."

"Of that I have no doubt. Tell me what needs to be done and I'll do it. We're sort of like and I hate this trite phrase, but we're like sitting ducks."

Francis checked the front door to make sure it was firmly locked in place, "Not for long. I'm going to go up and change, if you don't mind."

"Not at all Francis. Go do what you gotta do. I have to get the kids settled for bed anyway."

Francis made his way upstairs and headed toward the bathroom.

Liz headed to Cameron and Aurora's rooms to get their pajamas and then she came out and gathered the kids to her room one at a time.

"Aurora, come here baby, it's time to get dressed."

"Okay Aunt Lizzie I'm coming.

Aurora came in and Liz shut the door and began to help Aurora get undressed.

"Did you have a good time today, Rorabug?"

"I did. I really liked the giglatto!"

Liz let out a laugh, "You mean gelato."

"Yeah, giglioto," Aurora said very proud of herself as she gave it another try.

Liz finished getting Aurora dressed and ran a brush through her hair. "Okay, babe. You can go play. When Mr. Francis comes out of the bathroom you need to go in, go potty, and brush your teeth."

"Okay Aunt Lizzie," but before she left Aurora turned around and gave Elizabeth a big hug and big kiss on the cheek, "I love you sooooo much!"

Liz's smile grew and she replied, "I love you too, Aurora! More than the world."

Their hug ended and Aurora walked out of the room.

"Cameron, come in here and get dressed sweet boy."

"I'm coming."

Cameron came bustling in the room making all sorts of noises with his toy car.

"Put the car down for just a second bud, while I get you dressed."

Cameron did as instructed. "Lift your foot up, Cam," Liz said as she laughed trying to get his pants on him.

"I'm twying, but you belly's in the way."

"I know," said Elizabeth, "Mommy is getting huge. You know how much I love you sweetie?"

"More than the world?" Cameron question.

"More than the world!" Said Elizabeth back. Liz finished getting Cameron ready.

She ran a brush through his hair and gave him a big hug. Liz opened the door to her bedroom to reveal Francis who was about to knock, the shock of seeing him right on the other side made her jump, "Holy Cow!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I wasn't expecting you there. I almost went into labor with that shock."

"Don't even joke about a thing like that," Francis said in mock terror.

"Ha ha. Keep it up, and I'll make you my birth coach. Is Aurora in the bathroom?"

"She just came out. She went to her room to get her stuffed animals, and I'm not going to be your birth coach." Francis replied.

"Cameron, go to the bathroom and brush your teeth."

"Okay, Mommy," Cameron said as he walked off to the bathroom to take care of his business.

"I'm going to head downstairs and get some shuteye," Francis said.

"Good night, Francis."

"Good night, Liz. Good night, kiddos"

"Good night, Francis," both kids said at the same time.

Liz laid down with the kids and put on a movie for them that they had downloaded.

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It was just after 1:00 am when Emily and Jason landed in Florence.

"Wow, Jason! It's so beautiful here," exclaimed Emily.

"It's always been Elizabeth's dream to visit here. Maybe when things die down a bit, I can take you both on a tour.

"Bye, Cal! It was nice meeting you Joe. Have a safe flight back." Emily stated.

"Bye Dr. Quartermaine. Bye Mr. Morgan."

Jason shook each man's hand and in each hand shake $1000.00 was exchanged from Jason to the pilots. Cal and Joe looked down in shock. "For your discretion," Jason said.

"You were never here, boss." Cal said.

"This was just a trial run." Joe said in agreeance.

"Thanks guys, be safe heading home," Jason said as he exited the plane.

Emily was waiting at the bottom of the steps with her small duffle in tow. Jason had his larger duffle and her larger duffle. Waiting in the hanger was a black _Land Rover_. He'd had called Diane mid-midflight and asked that she arrange a vehicle be waiting for them.

Stan had provided him the address for Il Mio Vento, so he could plug in the coordinates to the gps. He placed the luggage in the back and Emily got seated in the front.

Jason got into the front seat and set the coordinates and they were off. The drive was uneventful. Emily was busy looking out the window and Jason while focused on driving was actually incredibly nervous. A condition that he wasn't often afflicted with but seemed to happen a lot around a certain blue-eyed beauty.

Emily turned to look at him, "Should we book a hotel, ya think?"

"No, Francis texted me that he's sleeping on an air mattress on the main floor. He'll be able to let us in. I just can't wait to get there."

"Did he say anything else?" Emily wanted to know, being her nosey self.

"He said they went shopping for new mattresses and bedroom sets for the kids, and that Elizabeth looked the happiest he'd seen her since she'd arrived in Italy."

"Yeah, but the next few days are going to be hard."

"What do you think she's going to want to do about Sarah's body?"

"I don't know. If she's awake then we should tell her, but if she's asleep let her get some sleep. Francis seems to think that Elizabeth hasn't slept well since they arrived and I would think he's right, if she's as worried as she's been observed to be. It can't be healthy for her or the baby, so if she's asleep we should say nothing."

"Honesty is the best policy, as they say," Emily replied, "Are you excited, Jason."

"I am. I'm more nervous than anything."

"Holy shit, Jason I just thought about it. You're going to be a dad. Like to your own kid. That's amazing."

"I know. I haven't really had time to wrap my head around the idea of it, but I'm so excited. Then there's the other two to consider as well. What's Aurora like? I mean she's cute. I'll give her that."

"Oh, I've watched her a couple of times. She's just precious. She's everything you want a little girl to be. She's very smart, caring, observant, and mild mannered. I suppose it could be due to her injuries though. It was very traumatizing to her. Especially, waking up in the sterile environment of a hospital to the fact that your father and great-grandmother were killed essentially in the accident. The worst part is that she seems to remember the truck hitting them. I've been around when Aurora has woken up screaming in terror. She's so tiny and a mac truck is so huge. It would frighten a normal person, and I can't even imagine it from a child's perspective."

"The wreckage from the car accident was pretty horrific. The fact that it was done on purpose to make a point is low even for people in my alleged line of work. You just don't involve women and children."

"You have to consider the source, Jase. Helena is a psychopath and those chivalrous tenants mean nothing to her. In a very sick way, it is completely feministic to go after everyone, including children. For someone who values the old world feudal thinking it's a very contemporary thing for her to do."

"I've never thought about it like that. Although, to be fair I don't spend much time thinking about Helena Cassadine, well until recently."

"She's such a horrible person. I would rather deal with a thousand Katherine Bell's than one Helena Cassadine. My dislike for the former is legendary."

"Yours and Elizabeth both if I recall."

"Oh she was a barnacle on the butt of humanity."

Jason laughed. "I've not heard that phrase before."

"Well she was. She was the snidest user that I've ever seen."

"Elizabeth spent a lot of time trying to warn Nikolas about her, which of course he didn't listen."

"We all did. Of course, I got side-tracked with Juan."

"Juan, of God don't even get me started."

"I know. Not one of my better choices."

Jason came around the turn and the GPS chimed up.

"Take next turn on right and arrive at your destination."

Jason took the right turn in and drove up the small path.

"Awe. It's rustic Jason. It has old world charm."

"Old is the right word."

"Well, just don't say that to Elizabeth. I bet she's proud of it."

"Oh. I know why she picked it."

"You do. Why?"

"That's between Elizabeth and myself."

"You're no fun," Emily said sticking out her tongue.

Jason and Emily got out of the SUV and stretched. They walked to the door and Emily knocked. It was the middle of the night and they didn't want to be rude.

Emily didn't have to knock too long before a half awake Francis opened the door with his gun drawn.

"Whoa!" said Emily.

"Whoops, sorry Em. It's an old door so there's no way to check and see who it is."

"On the bright side, I no longer have to use the restroom," Emily said jokingly.

Francis laughed at this and then ushered them in, "Come in you two."

Francis looked at Jason and said, "Later on today you owe me a more in depth explanation. My first thought is to slug you, but I don't want to wake Elizabeth or the kids."

"I'll tell you all I can," Jason said as he stopped walking in and looked at the top of the steps where he spotted the love of his life. His breath caught in his throat.

"Jason," Elizabeth whispered with teary eyes.

"Elizabeth," Jason whispered back.

Everyone else disappeared. The two walked toward each other and met at the bottom of the steps. Jason reached up and cupped her face, "I'm here now, Elizabeth," as he noticed her tears and her warm smile. At that moment, Elizabeth let go, and hugged him as hard as she could while she cried the first tears of relief she'd felt in months.

"I'm so glad you're here, Jason."

Jason just hugged her back. It was clear that that was what she needed.


	13. Chapter 13

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

13.) Jason's Explanation

Emily and Francis made their way over to the kitchen to give Elizabeth and Jason some privacy.

"How are you, Emily?"

"I'm fine. I'm relieved to finally be here. You, Francis?"

"I've been alright. I've just been concerned for our dear friend in the other room."

"You and I both Francis."

"Can I pour you a drink, Emily?"

"No thanks, Francis."

"How was your flight?"

"Did you ever get to meet Meeka?" Emily asked with a cheeky smile.

"No, can't say that I have."

"Oh well let me tell you…So…"Emily regaled Francis of her epic tale of Meeka the overly attentive flight attendant. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the stairs…

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Jason was holding Elizabeth in his firm embrace eager never to forget this feeling. Nestled between them was their child growing safely in his mother's womb. It was an incredible feeling.

Elizabeth pulled back her head and noticed the tears she'd left on his shirt, "Oh no, Jason look what I did to your shirt."

"I don't care about the stupid shirt. Look at me," Jason said as he cupped her beautiful face, "I'm here now. You're not alone in this."

"What about Sam? Jason, she can't be happy that you're here. This could really hurt your relationship with her."

"I think the fact that I told her I was in love with you and then subsequently ended said relationship really hurt my relationship with Sam," Jason said laughing, "That and the fact that she slept with Ric, and I slept with you. I haven't really been able to move on from that night. Don't get me wrong. I gave it my best shot, but it's hard to turn off what we did that night in my mind, and how long I had wanted that night to happen."

"You, love me? Jason are you sure?"

"I came halfway around the globe to tell you that, among other things. So yeah, I'm pretty sure," Jason said.

"I just thought that since you wanted to keep your distance that you regretted being with me."

"I could never regret being with you. There's a lot you don't know that I would prefer to talk about after we've all gotten some rest," Jason said tucking a wayward hair behind Elizabeth's ear.

"I love you too. I can't believe you're here though. Won't Sonny be mad?" Elizabeth asked concerned. It was like a dream come true. It was nice to have a dream come true, since lately only her nightmares had been made into a reality.

"Whatever problem Sonny may have he'll have to get over it. Look, why don't we get some rest and we'll go over everything when we wake up. It's the middle of the night, and I know I'm tired, and as beautiful as you are you look like you're tired too."

"I haven't been sleeping all that well. I've had a lot on mind."

"I know you have. Now we can have a lot on our mind together," Jason said giving her a sexy smile.

"Okay," Elizabeth said. Making her way down the last step, "but first I better greet your sister."

Liz walked with Jason to the kitchen and watched as she walked up to Emily who had her back turned to Elizabeth.

"So then I grabbed her by the arm and escorted her to the door of the plane," Emily said.

"That's quite a story," Francis said in return.

"She was perhaps the most forward person I've ever met."

"I gather," Francis added.

Elizabeth was tilting her head and smiling at her best friend's antics.

"That's sounds like Emily. Just who were you manhandling?" Elizabeth questioned her best friend.

"Someone trying to grope my brother," Emily said not even realizing at first that it was Elizabeth who was standing behind her and asking the question.

"Hmm...That sounds like a good reason to manhandle someone to me," Elizabeth replied.

"Oh my god, Elizabeth." Emily said remembering herself and turning around and giving her best friend a giant hug in the process. "You aren't allowed to leave like that again."

"You know I felt like I had too. I promise I didn't do it to hurt you."

"I know," Emily said with tears in her eyes.

"I'm glad you're here too."

"You're my best friend we're in this together!"

Liz and Emily, loosened their hug and Liz turned slightly to look at Jason, "Are you two thirsty or hungry?"

"I'm not, but I can't speak for Emily."

"I'm fine Liz," Emily said.

"Jason said he was tired, are you Emily?"

"I could rest."

"Okay, let me go upstairs and get a bed ready for you. Do you need to get your luggage?"

"Francis and I will go get it," Jason said.

Emily and Elizabeth made their way upstairs as Jason and Francis went to his SUV to get the luggage.

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Elizabeth escorted Emily to what was supposed to be Aurora's room. It was directly across from Elizabeth's.

"This is a good size room," Emily said as the turn of the century light came on.

"I'm sorry about the bed. I brought the sheets from home because I wasn't sure what we were going to run into. I was worried about bed bugs."

Emily started to laugh at that, "With all that came to your mind to be worried about, bed bugs were at the top of your list? That's so you, Elizabeth. Definitely a nurse."

"Bed bugs were something that I could spot easily and actually do something about. There will be a new bed in here by next Wednesday."

Elizabeth tucked the last fitted corner of the sheet on and pulled out top sheet.

"I apologize I don't have any extra blankets at the moment. I will pick some up when we go out later on today," Elizabeth said.

"I'll be fine. I packed some warm clothes and socks. So don't worry about it."

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Jason and Francis made their way to the back of the SUV.

"I meant what I said earlier Jason. I want an explanation as to why Elizabeth was left on her own."

"Trust me, I will give you my version of the events during the daylight hours. If you still want to hit me once you've heard me out we'll slug it out away from the house. For now let's just get the luggage inside."

Francis nodded in affirmation to that. Honestly, he was just relieved that Jason was here now.

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Jason came into the room that Elizabeth and Emily were currently occupying and set their luggage down.

"I was just telling Emily that I have two new mattresses that will be delivered on Wednesday for the kid's rooms. This is going to be Aurora's room, but you two can stay in the extra rooms for the time being and we'll make adjustments as we go."

"Are the kids sleeping with you?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. It's just been more comforting for all of us to be closer together for now."

"I can understand that."

Elizabeth finished tucking in the top sheet, and lifted her head in a jolt, "Excuse me for a minute."

"What was that about?" asked Emily as she watched Elizabeth walk away.

A small wailing noise could be heard from across the small living room, coming from Elizabeth's room.

Jason made his way over to Elizabeth's room where he could see just what the problem was.

"Shhhhh, it's okay sweetie. Aurora, look at me." Elizabeth said trying to calm the upset child.

"It was the truck dweam," Aurora said through tears.

"The truck's not here. You're safe. Aunt Lizzie won't let anything happen to you," Elizabeth said as she laid down on her side and lovingly rubbed Aurora's back. Elizabeth propped her head up on her hand and hummed a little song for about ten minutes. When it was clear that Aurora fell back asleep, Elizabeth lightly got up and made her way over to Jason.

Elizabeth looked up and noticed that Jason hadn't left the doorway, "Let me get your bed set up."

She escorted Jason to what would be Cameron's room, which was the room next to hers.

"Does Aurora have nightmares every night?"

Elizabeth shook her head yes and then added,"Nearly every night. Thank goodness Cameron's a heavy sleeper. It's unfortunate, but it appears that Aurora remembers everything leading up to the accident."

Liz pulled out a fitted sheet and started putting it on the bed, Jason made his way to the other side to help her get the job done quickly.

"I'm sorry but all I have is the top sheet for this bed, I don't have a blanket yet."

"That's alright. We'll get all of that sorted," Jason said looking at Elizabeth. Even nearly seven months pregnant she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Not that Sam wasn't beautiful, but Elizabeth radiated it differently, with her flawless alabaster skin, chestnut colored hair, and expressive dark blue eyes. He'd be lying if he said that he'd seen another beauty like her anywhere else. Even in all his travels. He'd never come across it. Then there was her heart. No other woman gave so selflessly to others, or accounted for other people's needs (especially his) the way that she did. 'How could I not fall in love? She's perfect. She's totally out of my league. She always has been, and yet she loves me.' Jason stood in awe of that thought.

"You okay, Jason?" Elizabeth asked worried.

"Yeah. I was just thinking about how wonderful you are," he said with a small half smile.

"I'm wonderful?" Elizabeth said quirking up an eyebrow, "Hardly, I'm barely holding it together. If I was so wonderful, you probably wouldn't have felt compelled to come halfway around the world."

"Don't say that about the woman that I love. I think it's amazing that you put all this together. It was very clever of you to threaten Mac, and certainly brave. The truth is I admire you Elizabeth. I always have. You have a strength in you that I can't ignore. Trust me, for your sake I've tried."

Elizabeth just smiled at that. "You know about Mac?" Jason shook his head yes, and Elizabeth continued, "I've never considered myself brave. I've just done what always felt needed to be done. Thank you for the kind words though. That's very sweet, and if anyone's brave it would be you. The real hero of the Metro Court Crisis not to mention every other crisis that comes along. You seem to know how to solve the problem."

Jason made his way over to Elizabeth and grabbed her hands and carefully lifted each hand up and kissed her palms gently. This gentle act was so intimate that it reminded her of their night together. Elizabeth quickly smiled and brought her hands to the outside of his and guided them to her swollen abdomen. Jason was surprised at first, but then realized what she was doing.

"He's moving, Jason," Elizabeth said and at the moment they both felt a strong kick.

"Wow. That was a powerful kick. Does that hurt?"

"No, as he gets bigger it may get more uncomfortable, for both of us."

"That's amazing," Jason said in awe as he backed up toward the bed and sat down, he brought Elizabeth forward so she was standing in front of him, "Can I?" Jason asked hesitantly.

"Sure you can, he's your baby too," Elizabeth said with nothing but pure love shining in her eyes back at him.

Jason leaned forward and placed his face along her abdomen. At that moment, his son decided to move and he was left with a wave of protectiveness. He grabbed Elizabeth in a firm grip and hugged her tightly.

Jason let go reluctantly and scooted back against the solid headboard. "Would you be opposed to me spending the rest of the night holding you?"

"You want to hold me? Like in your lap?"

"Yes, I just can't imagine letting you go."

"I suppose that would be alright."

Liz backed up to the bed and Jason scooped her into his lap where he spent the remaining predawn hours holding her in his firm embrace and breathing in the scent emanating from her hair. He was committing that smell to memory. For the first time in months Elizabeth achieved a dreamless sleep, and for the first time ever Jason knew what it meant to feel so complete.

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Port Charles 10:00 PM Friday night

"What could be so important that you had to meet me here at my home?" The man said as he put down his pen down.

"Are we alone?"

"She and the baby are out of town right now."

"Wow, you let her out of sight with your child? How progressive of you."

"Shut up! She's been distant since the hostage crisis. Speaking of which, what are you doing here Mr. District Attorney?"

"Taking care of loose ends," Ric said as he raised a syringe and jammed it into Alcazar's arm. "It's a shame, but you've become too much of liability my friend," Ric said as Alcazar passed out.

Ric opened his throw away phone and contacted his source on the other end, "He's sleeping soundly. Come get him and make sure it looks like a Morgan Hit, nice and clean. No mistakes."

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The news hadn't been good, and she just didn't know how to break it to Elizabeth. The boxes had arrived two hours ago directly from the Congo. On top of that, she'd received news that Elizabeth's sister Sarah had died in an equally gruesome manner. She'd printed off the crime scene pictures so Elizabeth could see if this was truly the work of Tom Baker or someone else working for Helena. Luckily, she'd been in Europe so the trip to Elizabeth would be relatively short.

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"Mmmm…" Elizabeth moaned as she let out a yawn. She was startled when she woke up with a pair of arms wrapped firmly around her body and locked gently on her abdomen. 'It hadn't been a dream. Jason was really here.'

"Hey," Jason said as he looked down at her lovingly and placed a chaste kiss on her temple.

"Hey," Elizabeth said, "I'm sorry to ruin the moment but our son needs me to use the restroom so he can continue to tap dance on my bladder with the relative ease he's grown accustom to."

"Sorry," Jason replied sheepishly.

"Don't be. I wouldn't trade our son or his tap dancing for the world," Elizabeth said as she turned her head and smiled at Jason and slowly got up to make her way to the bathroom.

Jason had never felt such contentment. After a minute Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom and he decided to take his turn. He passed Elizabeth as she said, "You said you wanted to talk to me when we got up."

"Let me use the restroom first and then I'll explain everything."

"Okay," Elizabeth said. It was still early so they could get this out of the way without involving the kids.

Elizabeth checked on the kids who were still out of it and made her back to the room they'd been in before.

Jason came out and saw where Elizabeth was seated and made his way over to her. Jason closed the door and sat down next to her and took her hand.

"Elizabeth, I'm not proud of how I handled things when you came to tell me the results of the paternity test back in October."

"I get it, you wanted to give Sam a fair chance. No one can blame either or you for wanting to try again," Elizabeth said.

"That's not what I mean. I'm so bad with putting my emotions into words," Jason said.

"Take your time Jason, I'm not going anywhere."

"And I appreciate that. Do you remember when I told you that I appreciate you in my life the night of the black out?"

"Of course, it meant everything to me to hear you say it."

Jason smiled warmly at that. "Well it's true, but I haven't been completely honest with my feelings. I'm going to ask that you not interrupt me and just let me get this out. I've been wanting to say this for years, and never knew how to word it where you were concerned."

Elizabeth nodded for him to continue.

"Do you remember when I was shot the first time, and I told you there are no words for what I feel for you?"

Elizabeth nodded yes again with a huge smile.

"That's because up until that point, I had never been so emotionally invested in someone. Don't get me wrong, I cared for Robin, and we shared love between us at one point, but I wasn't in love with her. She was just the person that I first loved after my accident. Carly is my friend, and I love her, but I was never in love with her. I was there to stop her from doing something crazy, and in her own ways she was there for me, but when I became friends with you everything changed, for me."

Elizabeth looked on astonished. Usually Jason didn't say so much in one sitting, but she wasn't about to interrupt. This is what she'd secretly been waiting for.

"You were the first friend that I had that wasn't instructing me how to be, but rather asked me questions on how I felt, and took into consideration what I needed and wanted. Every time we saw each other I appreciated you more and more. You brought genuine lightness into my life. You seemed to grasp what it meant to be a true friend. I've always thought you were beautiful, but it was your thoughtfulness that drew me to you. Not just thoughtfulness towards me, but my sister, Nicolas, Sonny, and even people who treated poorly too. I never told you this but I almost asked you to be mine that Christmas in your studio."

Liz looked on as tears slid down her face. She wiped them quickly so he could continue on. She had so much she wanted to say, but didn't dare speak up afraid that he would lose his train of thought if she did.

"The reason I didn't pursue you then was because you were still grieving for Lucky, and I was working through Sonny and Carly's betrayal, not to mention you were an innocent. Unlike Carly, Courtney, and Sam, your motivations have always been innocent, at least for as long as I've known you. You've been the only woman that I've been with that has put my wants and needs first 100% of the time. You've risked being ostracized by the entire town just to tend to my wounds. You made yourself a target. You've never been after my money, and all you've wanted from me was to tell you how I felt about you. I couldn't take that leap. Making you mine put a target on you in a way that I couldn't justify or easily live with. Look what happened to Sam. Watching her get shot was devastating and it broke my heart. Since I had reconciled that I could never have you, I found a way to love Sam. Seeing her get shot was crushing, but if that happened to you, God forbid, I wouldn't be able to go on. Certain cultures talk about soulmates, and you're mine. No one gets me like you do, with just glance."

Liz wiped her face again.

"I say all of this to you so that you'll understand that when you came to inform me about the paternity results, I was told in advance that I wasn't the father by Carly."

"What?" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Hold on," Jason said wiping her face, "You promised to let me finish."

"Okay, go on. I promise I won't interrupt again," said Elizabeth as she bit her bottom lip to stop herself.

"I haven't forgiven her yet, but I'm not sure what to do about her. I found out the real results this last Monday. You have to understand that when I found out I wasn't the father I was crushed. There's nothing I want more than to be the father of your children, and when she told me that I wasn't, I was heartbroken. I just didn't articulate it very well, and I thought since I wasn't the father you would go back to Lucky, and that meant I needed to give Sam and myself another chance. It wasn't an easy decision. You can speak now, I can tell that you want to."

"To be clear, Jason. Are you saying you want to be with me because of the baby?"

"No, it's just that once I realized the baby was mine and not Lucky's, I understood why you weren't going back to him, aside from some of the less savory things he's done to you over the last year. I know that he shoved you. There will be a reckoning between the two of us. It's a long time coming. As far as Sam and I go, I really do care about her, but after last summer and all that transpired, I couldn't fake the feelings I had for her anymore. They don't run that deep."

"So where do we go from here?" Liz asked.

"I don't know. I know I love you and I'd marry you tomorrow if you'd have me, but I don't want to rush you. You've been through so much."

"I love you, Jason. I've always loved you, but I never felt woman enough for your world. You could have anyone, and I can't understand what you see in me. I'm not fishing for compliments. I look at the women you've been with, and they're all something that I'm not. They're confidant. I know what I know, but I'm fairly reserved unless I can back up my argument and even then I'm reluctant to say anything."

"So what you're trying to convey is that you're wise, and tend not to spout off unless you have your facts straight...sounds intelligent to me."

"I'll never understand what you see in me. I do know that I love you and I would like to see where life takes us. Also, I have a lot going on with Helena and Tom Baker. Jason, are you sure you want to be a part of this? My situation with Helena is a mess, and the Spencer's have made her my mess unfortunately. Then there's Tom. He's my nightmare come to reality."

"Speaking of which, I need to get Emily in here. Things have happened that you don't know about yet," Jason said as he opened the door and made his way over to Emily. Thankfully Emily was up. Jason whispered in Emily's ear and she somberly agreed to join them.

They both walked over to Elizabeth and Jason sat on one side of Elizabeth and Emily sat on the other.

"We got news from Ric. I had Stan check police files to substantiate it, because I will never trust Ric at his word, but the authorities believe Tom Baker attacked another person."

"You don't seem so sure, Jason."

"I'm not sure what to believe, it's just a gut feeling that I have."

"Well who was it… that Tom Baker was purported to have attacked?"

"Elizabeth, I'm not sure how to say this."

"It's okay, Jason. I won't shoot the messenger. It wasn't anyone from work right?" Elizabeth said looking at Emily for confirmation.

"No, it wasn't anyone from work," Emily replied.

Jason grabbed Elizabeth's hand not knowing how Elizabeth was handle the news, before saying, "The person he attacked was Sarah."

Elizabeth blinked in shock, "My Sarah?" she questioned.

Jason shook his head yes.

"Is she okay, Jason?"

"I'm sorry Elizabeth. She was killed."

"NO" Elizabeth cried, "I told her to come with me. Why didn't she listen? Why couldn't she listen?"

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry," Jason said.

"Not half as sorry as I am. I just don't get it. Why the obsession with torturing me. Why my family? They've done nothing to Helena. Why now?"

"I don't know, but we're going to find out," Jason said.

"Anna Devane seems to believe she had my parents killed as well, though that's still pending. When will this end?"

"That's not all," Emily said.

"There's more?"

"I'm not sure it's the right time."

Elizabeth wiped her tears away and braced herself for more.

"He left us a message in our lockers this week," Emily said.

"You're kidding?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Let me guess," Elizabeth started as she cleared her throat, "He left us a dress, painted a message, or left us note."

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Emily exclaimed, "How did you know?

"It's his M.O.," Elizabeth stated matter-of-factly. "Was the dress burgundy?"

"Yes," Emily replied.

"He's obsessed with it. He told me that's why he targeted me."

Out of nowhere, the trio was jarred out of their conversation by a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?"

They made their way down the steps, but Jason stood by the door with his gun cocked and ready. Francis flanked his side in case this was going to be a gun battle.

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth it's me Anna Devane, open up."


	14. Chapter 14

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else. I don't own apple anything.

I want to thank everyone for the kind reviews. I also want to preface this chapter by saying that this will be the last really dark chapter that effects Elizabeth directly. The next few chapters are going to be lighter. Sinister acts will still transpire. I know some of you are growing weary of the hurt, that our Elizabeth is facing, but without some pain there can be no triumph!

14.) There's Someone Rotten in Port Charles

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth, it's me Anna Devane. Open up."

"It's okay, Jason. Let her in," Elizabeth said as she made her way over to the door.

Jason opened the door as instructed and lowered his firearm slightly.

"Jason?"

"Ms. Devane," Jason stated back in a tone that indicated no inflection. Jason was the epitome of stone cold perfection, but he moved out of the way to allow her in.

"Elizabeth, I see that the Calvary has arrived."

"Jason and Emily got here in the middle of the night. Francis came to yesterday morning," Elizabeth stated before continuing concerned. "What did you find out?"

"Elizabeth maybe you better sit down. We can talk in the kitchen. Perhaps, privately."

"It's okay, Anna. They know about the attacks. I'll go sit in the kitchen so you can just tell me."

"Fine, if you feel like you can trust them."

"I can. If you're here to tell me about Sarah, Jason already told me."

"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. That is part of the reason that I've come in person, but I have other reasons as well."

Elizabeth took a seat at the kitchen table, and Emily sat next to her, Jason stood behind her, and Francis stood by the door.

"Elizabeth," Anna began, "When I met with agents at the American Embassy in Barcelona yesterday, two small boxes were waiting for me."

"Okay," Elizabeth stated unsure of where this was going but wanting Anna to continue.

"There was a note attached on each one when the attaché handed them to me. According to the note the boxes' contained the remains of your parents."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and her eyes started to tear, "Were they killed how we thought?" Elizabeth asked through the tears.

"Yes, the cremation took place shortly thereafter, but we have confirmation that they were executed via Russian Mercs."

Elizabeth had managed to keep her composure. "Do you believe they went quickly?"

"Yes," Anna stated.

"Well, that's something at least. A small mercy," Elizabeth said somberly.

"You're taking this better than I imagined," Anna said slightly surprised.

"Anna, I've just found out my sister was brutally murdered supposedly by my former rapist. I'm guessing she was raped too. My parents have been executed, and a few months ago my grandmother and brother were slaughtered in a horrific yet purposefully orchestrated crash. My niece was horrifically injured, and has terrible nightmares as a result. I'm so beyond tears at the moment. I have to get this baby to term. It won't help me or my children to lose it at this point."

"I'm sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news."

"I'll make peace with it," Anna gave Elizabeth a look of surprise before Elizabeth spoke again, "What? My parent's deaths are tragic, especially for the people that they took care of. Unfortunately, my parents and I weren't close. I haven't spoken to my mother in over 10 years. My father spent our last phone conversation verbally eviscerating me over my life choices, while simultaneously and sanctimoniously explaining the virtues of the work that he and my mother were doing in Africa, and why that work was more important than coming back to the states and attending his son's and mother's funerals."

"I have their boxes out in my vehicle," Anna stated.

"And I will see to them in a little bit. I didn't mean to sound harsh," Elizabeth said looking at Anna.

Emily just stroked Elizabeth's hand. She knew the relationship between Elizabeth and her parents had a lot to be desired. Still this was too much to take in.

Francis couldn't imagine growing up the way that Elizabeth did. 'Did no one care about this girl?'

"Anna, did you know about Sarah?" Jason asked.

"I did. That's the other reason that I came. I didn't want to tell her by phone."

"That was thoughtful of you Anna. You've been very good to me despite not really knowing me. Please understand I'm not ungrateful. It's just that I don't really define my parents and sister as close family members. The people in this room have shown me more compassion and understanding than my parents ever bothered to, and my sister and I were too competitive for our parent's and grandparent's affection to ever achieve a real sisterly relationship. My real sister is sitting next to me," Elizabeth said looking at Emily, "Which is why it's so important that we find Helena and Tom Baker and stop them from hurting anyone else."

Jason continued to stand behind Elizabeth with his arms crossed, impressed with Elizabeth's resolve but not terribly surprised. It was that inner strength showing again. Elizabeth was one of the most stubborn people he'd ever known, it just didn't manifest through obnoxiousness, like other people in his world.

"That's the other reason that I came to see you Elizabeth. I hate to ask, but you know how Tom Baker operates. I need you to take a look at some of the crime scene photos if you think you can stomach it."

Elizabeth started to shake at first, but got herself under control.

"Wait," Jason said walking to Elizabeth's side and cupping her face, "you don't have to do this. You probably shouldn't see this in your condition."

"You're probably right, but I can do anything with you and Emily by my side, and with Francis as back up over there."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked.

Liz turned her attention to Emily and calmly said, "I'm sure. If it will help stop them then I'm in."

"I warn you Elizabeth, they're graphic."

"Of that I have no doubt. Tell me Anna," Elizabeth cleared her throat, "what was the manner of her death?"

"Ultimately, she died of exsanguination."

Elizabeth drew in a breath, "By what means?"

"We believe the Unsub tried to asphyxiate her first, but what actually killed her was when he cut her throat."

Elizabeth drew in a startled breath, "What an awful way to go. That sounds painful."

"Unsub? What's an Unsub?" Jason asked having not heard the term before, but ironically having been one on many occasions.

"Unidentified Subject," Elizabeth said beating Anna to the punch. Anna raised her eyebrows and gave Elizabeth a surprised look along with Jason and Emily. "What? Haven't any of you watched _Criminal Minds?_ " Elizabeth questioned in defense at her surprising knowledge while she wiped a stray tear away.

Francis shook his head and smirked at his young friend.

Anna opened a file containing all the printouts from the crime scene at Sarah's house.

"Just take a look Elizabeth and tell me what you think knowing what you know about Tom Baker."

Elizabeth slowly flipped through the small stack of photos. Anna could see the wheels in Elizabeth's head turning. "Was her dress pink?"

"According to the report your sister was found in a fuchsia pink silk spaghetti strap dress."

Elizabeth was shaking her head no. She laid one picture to the side.

"The dress is wrong."

"How is the dress wrong? Mac told me he left one in your locker and on in Dr. Quartermaine's too."

"Em, wasn't the dresses he left both of us Burgundy Red."

"Yes, they were," Emily answered.

"He's obsessed with red. He likes brunettes. My sister is a blonde. He would've kept her alive to torment her. It's what he did to me. He's a sexual sadist. He gets pleasure from the pain he inflicts on his unwilling bed partners. He gets a high out of tormenting them long afterward."

Anna wrote down what Elizabeth was saying to help them in their investigation.

"He tied her up," Elizabeth added. "He's either learning, he's stopped liking when his victim fights back, or it's not him.

Elizabeth looked at the next photo. "He brought flowers? He brought the wrong kind. He brought me roses, red roses. He brought her pink carnations."

"So, just because they're different you think it's not him?" Anna asked.

"I didn't say that, but I'm implying it. Tom is obsessed with the color red. That's all he can reference back to in his past unwanted correspondence with me."

"He left me a red dress in my locker, and a note about blackmailing me was in red written on my locker door. You'd think that if he wanted Elizabeth to recognize that it was him he'd keep it consistent," Emily stated in defense of her best friend's logic.

Liz flipped to the next picture and did a double take, and that caught Jason's attention as he'd been standing back to give Elizabeth some space. He'd didn't like that she was having to go through this. Though he had to admit at least to himself that she'd been amazingly composed. 'God I love her. When this ends I'm going to spend all my time treating her like the queen that she is,' Jason thought.

"Anna do you have a close up of that writing on the wall?"

"Yeah, it should be the in the next few photos. Why?"

"I don't know. The phrase is not correct, but there's something familiar about it," Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth flipped to the next one, but it wasn't a close up on the writing so she continued. She flipped the next photograph over and gasped. Her eyes opened wider, and she started tapping her index finger on the table in a somewhat aggressive manner because her mind was working faster than she could speak. "Oh my God. Oh my God."

"What is it?" Jason said alarmed.

"Tom Baker didn't do this!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"How can you be sure?" Anna asked.

Elizabeth scooted her chair back and walked to the other side of the kitchen where she'd kept some of her vital paperwork that she'd traveled with from home. Liz handed Anna a letter from Tom Baker that she'd received months before his release from prison. "That's a sample of Tom Baker's handwriting. It's not at all sophisticated. Look how sloppily he writes."

"The man's grammar is atrocious too," Emily added remembering the letter found in her locker.

"Tom Baker raped me, broke into my grandmother's home, and our lockers, but he didn't attack and kill Sarah. As much as I'd like to believe it."

"Why in the world would you like to believe it?" Emily asked.

"Because the alternative is too horrifying to fathom, and yet I know it's the truth."

"What's the truth?" Anna asked. Emily shook her head too. She wanted to know.

Elizabeth walked back over to the pile and pulled out a manila folder that had some legal documents in it. "Tell me Anna, did Sarah's house show signs of forced entry?"

"No, but he could have picked the lock or had help with it." Anna said.

"There was no need to. Sarah, knew her attacker. She would've opened her door willingly for him."

"How do you know that?" Anna asked.

"That's what I want to know." Francis said as he looked at Jason, who had an angry look in his eye. Jason had already figured it out, but wasn't saying anything.

Elizabeth pulled open the file and said, "Here," pointing to the bottom, "Look at the bottom. At the signature."

"What about it?" Anna asked.

"No, Elizabeth you can't think…" Emily started as she too had figured out where this was heading.

"I do. You haven't seen how mad he was at me, Em," Liz said before looking at Anna and pointing to a photo in front of Anna. "Look at this photo. It's like he didn't mean to mess up but he did. Tom Baker always says or writes the phrase, 'Not a Word,' when he's harassing or confronting me. This person wrote 'Not a Sound.' Tom Baker is compulsive in his obsession not necessarily smart, but doggedly obsessed. He would never have wrote the phrase 'Not a Sound' if he was serious about getting my attention, like Emily said before. Not only that but look at the 'S' in the word 'Sound.' It's capitalized. Now look at the 'S' in the word 'Spencer.'"

Anna looked at the photo and the signature, "Well I'll be, they're exactly the same."

"What is that?" Francis asked pointing at the file.

"Those are my divorce papers and that signature is Lucky's. Lucky murdered my sister, and that means he tied….tied..." Liz started to cry, "He raped and tortured my sister. Lucky did that. How…how…I'll kill him." Elizabeth was still standing but started to tremble from her anger. Her legs almost gave out, but Jason came up behind her to steady her and turned them both around to face away from the others in the room.

Jason pulled back her hair so he could whisper in her ear, "I'll handle him. I'll make it so no will even deign to think about threatening what is mine, and make no mistake Elizabeth you are MINE. I'll make sure to pulverize the little bastard," Jason said as stroked the length of her shoulder down her arms and across her abdomen. She'd always been his to protect.

With his words and calming touch Elizabeth leaned her head back into him and calmed down.

"Thank you, Jason."

"Elizabeth, I know this has been a trying day, but I need to know more about your rape for comparison purposes. It'll go a long way in helping to capture both of them."

"You don't have to do this now. I can make her leave," Jason whispered, "You've been through enough stress."

At that moment, they all heard the pitter patter of little feet. Someone little was up and around upstairs. A minute later a bewildered Aurora emerged from around the corner and slowly and shyly made her way into the kitchen.

Aurora looked over at Francis and waved her little hand and gave a meek smile. The beautiful little girl quietly made her way over to Aunt and looked up at her who was still being hugged by Jason. Aurora had never seen the man before, but he sure was handsome. "Aunt Lizzie, are you okay?"

Jason and Elizabeth looked down to their side and smiled gently at the little girl, and Elizabeth responded "My sweet Aurora. I'm alright. Aunt Lizzie has had a busy morning. That's all. Is Cameron up?"

"I'm up mommy," Cameron said as he came around the corner and dashed right to Emily. "Aunt Emily! Yay, I'm so happy to see you."

"Cam! My little angel, I'm so happy to see you. Can I have a hug?"

"Sure, I missed you so much, Aunt Em."

"I'm missed you too sweetie. How about in a little bit I put on a play for you. I brought extra socks so that You, Aurora, and I can decorate puppets."

"Yay. I love your plays Aunt Emily," Emily smiled at her nephew. Then Cameron noticed Jason.

"Jason! You're here too!"

Jason turned to Cameron and knelt down as the little boy ran to him for a giant hug.

"It's so good to see you Cameron," Jason said as he wrapped his arms tightly around the little munchkin in his arms, "You've grown so much since the last time that I've seen you."

"Yeah, mommy says I growed ev-er-y-day!" Cameron said as he anxiously wiggled around.

"Does she?" Cameron nodded 'yes' to Jason's question before Jason went to say, "Well your mommy's pretty smart so I bet she's right," Jason smiled at Cameron and then looked over to Aurora who was quietly taking him in, "So you're the beautiful Aurora that I've heard so much about."

Aurora immediately blushed and shyly waved at him.

"My, my, my, what a lovely young lady you are."

Aurora waved and said, "Hello, it's very nice to meet you. Aunt Lizzie, says you p-tect people. Are you here to p-tect us from villains?"

Anna bit her lip to stop herself from laughing and shook her head at the irony, 'Yeah, only out of Port Charles would a mob enforcer be considered a hero who thwarted villains.'

Jason responded to Aurora's question, "I always try to help fair maidens such as yourself." 'I think I've been hanging out with Spinelli too much.'

At this Aurora giggled.

Aurora's giggle was about the cutest thing he'd ever heard and he was taken with the beguiling little girl. There was something so innately pleasant about her that he couldn't help but be drawn to her. Elizabeth and Aurora didn't have a much in the way of looks in common, except for their button noses. Elizabeth had about one of the prettiest noses he'd seen, and Aurora had the same one too.

"Aurora, Cameron, let me make each of you breakfast and set up a movie for you two to watch upstairs."

"I can get the movie on mommy," Cameron stated and then looked over at Aurora, "Nemo?"

"Nemo!" said Aurora.

"Okay you two head upstairs and put your iPad on and I will bring your breakfast up soon. Make sure you walk."

Elizabeth got out two plates. She put a small pot on stove and boiled enough water for two bowls of strawberry oatmeal. She wouldn't let it boil for long, but she wanted to get it warm quickly and she didn't have a microwave, so this would be the best she could do. She took out two small water bottles and loosened the lids. When the water slightly boiled she turned off the burner and made the instant oatmeal.

"Okay, give me a second to get the kids set up, and I'll be right back."

"I can take that up for you," Jason said.

"I'd appreciate that, but I have to go up anyways because your son says that nature calls," Elizabeth said trying to bring some levity to her situation.

Jason took the tray from her and kissed her temple, "Go take care of that, and I'll take this to the munchkins."

"Okay. Anna I'll be right back, because when I go over this I'm only going to say this once."

"That's fine," Anna replied.

Elizabeth made her way upstairs behind Jason. She went to the restroom and found him waiting outside when she was finished, "Did you need to go?"

Jason shook his head 'no,' "I was just going to ask if you wanted to talk to Anna alone. What Tom did to you was very personal and I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Elizabeth smiled at him, and took his hand, "Unless it would make you uncomfortable, I would like it very much if you were with me while I get this over with. He raped me, but he didn't define me. It was just one of many definitive moments. Like you saving me at the bar that night, or me finding you in snow. All the times that we've confided in one another. The night we made this little guy," Elizabeth said as placed Jason's hand on her abdomen.

"We better get down there," Jason said reluctantly.

"Let's get this over with so we can get done the errands that needed to be finished before construction starts on Monday."

"Sounds like a plan," Jason said as he took Elizabeth's hand in his and guided her down the stairs.

Elizabeth came around the corner holding Jason's hand, "Alright Anna, where do you want me to start this?"

"Start with the events leading to your attack. Are you from Port Charles?"

"I moved to Port Charles from Boulder, Colorado."

"What were the circumstances that lead to that attack?"

"You really need that?"

"Yes, Elizabeth I do. Your issues with Helena may only be taking place due to your relationship with Luke or it could be something more that we've not taken into consideration. I'm not a world class spy simply for my good looks and charm, although they didn't hurt me."

Elizabeth chuckled mirthlessly and with much derision she continued, " _Fine. You're recording this so I'm only going to say this one time without interruption. These memories bring up feelings I'd rather keep buried. I've had to work very hard to get this far. I moved from Colorado, when I was 14. My parents decided to work abroad in Bosnia at the time. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them. My sister was allowed to move here, but I had to stay with our neighbors the Johnsons. I resented being left behind. It was bad enough not to be wanted in my own home, but to not be wanted in someone else's was more than I could take, so I used the money my parents left for me to purchase a 1_ _st_ _Class ticket to P.C. My sister didn't appreciate me moving to P.C. She was miss perfect and it reflected in everything she did. I went out of my way to be stubborn. To be the opposite. Anyway, not long after moving to Port Charles, I became acquainted with Lucky. Like everyone else he was infatuated with my sister. I didn't let that deter me from embarrassing her at every opportunity. We had a Sadie Hawkins Valentine's Day Dance at the school, and I had finally worked up enough nerve to ask Lucky. My sister had and on again off again relationship with Nikolas Cassadine at the time, and they were on the outs. So despite the fact that Lucky agreed to go with me, which he made clear that we were going as friends, he decided to take Sarah instead. In order to move past the embarrassment of basically being dumped right before the dance, I made up some story about someone else asking me to go. So Lucky wouldn't feel bad, and Gram didn't feel as though she'd wasted money. I went upstairs and got ready. You see my Gram went out of her way to buy me a beautiful burgundy silk dress. She even let me borrow a bracelet my grandfather had purchased for her. It meant everything to her, and she let me borrow it. It was the first time she'd trusted me with anything. I chose not to go to the dance as it was too embarrassing. So I went to a movie instead. The movie let out before I was ready to head home so I decided to wait in the park. I had just sat down on the bench, and I was finishing up the last of my popcorn when I was grabbed from behind."_

 _Liz closed her eyes, remembering it as if it were yesterday._

 _"_ _My right hand came down to grab the bench. I held on for maybe 15 or…or 20 seconds before he was finally able to yank me completely off the bench with so much force. He kept whispering, 'Not a word,' and in that moment I chose not to say much. Not that it would've mattered. He made his way over to the where there were trees and bushes enough to hide what he was doing to me. While we were walking he managed to turn me around in his arms and throw me to the ground with great force. It hurt so bad and was so forceful that it knocked the wind right out of me. Before I knew what was happening he leapt on me hitting me along my arms and torso to get me into submission. He didn't have to do that. I was already stunned from the force of him throwing me to the ground. He was just fond of causing pain."_

"Do you need to take a break?" Jason asked while thinking _,_ 'When I get my hands on Tom Baker, I'm going to make him suffer to his last breath.' Jason knew the rape was bad, he just never imagined that it was that violent.

"I'm fine. Thank you though. Let's get this over," Elizabeth said offering Jason a sad smile.

 _"_ _He ripped my pantyhose, he didn't bother to remove my underwear, he just shifted it and he set about raping me. I….I hadn't been with anyone before. It hurt. It hurt a lot," Elizabeth said as tears streamed down her face as she continued, "The whole event probably took about 20 minutes. I can't be sure. I disassociated myself to survive it. He smelled like cheap aftershave."_

"The disassociation is very common," Anna said.

 _"_ _He spoke to me the entire time telling me, 'Not a word.' It was that phrase that got him caught by me months later when he was blackmailing Emily."_

"I have the transcripts from the trial regarding Emily's blackmail." Anna added, "Who found you?"

"Lucky found me and my bracelet. He decided to go back for that."

"Are we done with this now?" Jason asked, beyond upset at what Elizabeth had endured.

"Almost. Who treated your wounds?"

"Turn off the recorder and I'll answer."

Anna stopped the recorder.

"Bobbie Spencer."

"Would she back up your story?"

"Maybe. I promised I wouldn't divulge this. It could ruin her career," said Elizabeth.

"I promise I won't tell anyone else if that is what you want. Elizabeth, I'm sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, dearest."

"I don't blame you Anna. This is all hard to take. Are you going to look for Lucky?"

"I'm going to build a case first. I don't want him to get wind of the fact that we suspect him."

"Fine. I just hope that this doesn't take long," Elizabeth said.

"Jason, I wonder if I might have a word with you for a moment," Anna said, "Can we go outside?"

Jason nodded yes and made his way outside the kitchen to hall where the front door led. Once outside Anna and Jason had a conversation.

"I didn't want to upset Elizabeth further. Do you know of a good place for us to store the remains of her parents?"

"I'm not sure. I only arrived in the middle of the night."

Francis who'd walked outside to observe decided to walk over and be helpful. "There's a cellar downstairs. I know right where to put them, until we can get each of them a proper urn."

"Thanks Francis," Jason said.

"Yeah. It's probably better if Liz doesn't have to see this right now," Francis added while taking the two reasonably small boxes into the house and down to the cellar.

Once alone Anna looked at Jason asked, "Are you in it for the long hall?"

"In what for the long hall?" Jason asked being purpose thick to see where this was going. He had no great love for law enforcement in any facet.

"Are you going to stick by Elizabeth through all of this?"

"Are you trying to be vague on purpose? Define all of this," Jason said.

"You know what the master plan is don't you?"

Jason just looked at her skeptically.

"You don't. How interesting. Elizabeth is tired of being a victim. She's made very specific plans once she gives birth to your son. I hope you're ready for the metamorphosis. If not it'll be fun to observe."

"What in the world is that supposed to mean? What plans?"

At that moment Elizabeth exited the villa and said, "Anna, I made a list of some of the things we discussed before regarding security. In the envelope you'll find very specific instructions, and a check to make it happen, there's extra in the way of bonus to you for helping me out. Take Robin somewhere nice when you see her next, on me. Nothing in there is to be questioned. It's what I want, and I think today's news adds further proof as to why this is the right course of action. Also, there's instructions as to what needs to be done on behalf of Sarah. I just added that. I won't be attending her funeral."

Jason noted Elizabeth's tone. He'd never seen her so assertive and to be honest that was a huge turn on.

"I'll take care of it, Elizabeth. Call me if you have any questions, and I know I'll be in touch," Anna said reaching forward giving Elizabeth a firm hug, "Take care of yourself and that baby."

"I plan on it," Elizabeth said before walking inside.

Jason turned to Anna and said, "What was that all about?"

"Ask Elizabeth," Anna said before looking Jason up and down suggestively, "I can see the appeal. I can certainly see why anyone in love with you would have leave town just to get over you."

"Elizabeth and I are going to build a future together," Jason said defensively.

"I'm sure that you are. You complement each other well, and I wasn't solely speaking about Elizabeth. You forget that Robin's my daughter. You're a hard man to get over, Jason."

"Will you let us know if you find Lucky?" Jason asked changing the subject.

"Will you?" Anna asked, "I know you're going to have your men go after him. I'm fine with that. May the best person win. Try and focus on that beautiful creature carrying your child. My people will search for the variety of despots trying to harm her. The truth is I don't think the baby is the primary motive. I think there's something about Elizabeth that Helena wants."

"I will make no promises at least to people of your ilk. Do you know what Helena is into these days?" Jason asked.

"Last I heard, and you didn't hear it from me, Helena was into bioterrorism in the form of human bioweapons," Anna said as she handed Jason her card, "Memorize the number don't keep it."

Anna got into her vehicle and drove off to parts unknown, at least to Jason.

Jason made his way inside. He needed to find out what these plans were that his lady was coming up with.


	15. Chapter 15

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

15.) Mama Fierce/Daddy Like

Jason made his way back into the Villa. He didn't see anyone at first, but then he noticed Emily and Elizabeth conversing in the kitchen and decided to stand out of the way and watch.

"So he bumped into the wall?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, the poor man was really nice but he would have been hazard to work with. He tried to shake hands with the doorknob on that small closet in the living room when I was trying to introduce myself. The worst though was the first contractor, by far, Signore De Marco."

"Why… what was wrong with him?"

"How much time do you have?"

Jason was snickering away so far unseen by the two lovely ladies.

"That bad?" Emily asked.

"Aside from the cheesy grin and flirty look he tried to give me. His smell. Holy hell, Emily."

"What? It couldn't have been that bad," Emily said grinning.

"No, you don't understand. You remember Jack Taylor after gym class?"

"Oh my God, I forgot about him," Emily said, "His odor was noxious."

"Well, Signore De Marco, had him beat by miles. His odor was off the charts and it was amplified even more by the fact that he doused himself in cheap cologne without having taken the time to discover what the proper use and application of water and soap upon his person could actually do for him first. Also, I'm pregnant so that made it worse."

"What does you being pregnant have to do with it?" Emily asked, having never been in that predicament.

Elizabeth was drying the dishes as she answered, "Since I've been pregnant my sense of smell has become more acute. It doesn't take much to set my stomach off. He was repugnant. I went through the same thing with Cameron and now this little guy too. Actually now that I think about it, I was nearly inspired to throw up on him on purpose. Just to have an excuse to gain distance. I thought maybe he would flee in terror if I puked on him. It wouldn't have taken much."

"It must have been pretty bad with all the awful smells that you've smelled as a nurse. Did he do anything else?" Emily asked.

"Hit on me."

"What's so wrong with that?" Emily asked smirking

"Nothing, if you like the person and their scent, neither of which was the case. Keep in mind that I was wearing my crazy headscarf in my hair, no makeup. Just me and my big pregnant self….Also is it just me or is it sort of creepy that he kept hitting on a pregnant woman that he didn't know. He must have been desperate for work. The good news was that as pregnant as I am I wasn't desperate for him. EW, gross."

Jason was quietly chuckling off to the side.

"Okay unwanted attention is very creepy. So, you're saying that you don't find him as attractive as say Jason?" Emily asked as she smirked her lips and wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

"I don't find anyone as attractive as Jason except Jason."

"Really?" Emily said having caught Jason watching them, clearly setting Elizabeth up.

"Well, sure. Have you seen your brother?" Elizabeth said still turned away as she had set about cutting herself some fruit.

"What about my brother?"

"Well aside from his stellar penetrating mind, I'm sure others have told you how fine a specimen he is. If this little boy is half as good looking I'm going to be in a world of trouble trying to beat the girls back. Your brother just makes me feel all sorts of flustered."

Jason directed Emily to quietly vacate the kitchen as he made his way over to Elizabeth, before saying, "You get me all sorts of flustered too," Jason said as Elizabeth turned around clearly blushing at having been caught.

"I'm going to kill your sister. She totally set me up."

"I'm so glad that she did. Otherwise, I may not have had the courage to do this right now," Jason said as pulled Elizabeth toward him and kissed her passionately. Elizabeth immediately responded by tightly encircling her arms around his neck. After a minute their mouths broke apart, but their foreheads and noses touched together, as they both caught their breath.

"Wow," was all Elizabeth could say at first, "that was some kiss. You really know how to make a girl forget all reason."

"Perhaps, it's because I lose all sanity whenever I'm around you that it rubs off. I love you so much Elizabeth. Just one question, do I smell okay?"

"Mmmm, boy do you ever," Elizabeth said wiggling her eyebrows, "I love you and your smell too! More than words could ever adequately convey."

"You mean everything to me," Jason said as he leaned his forehead against Elizabeth's.

"Jason, I'm touched beyond words. I want you to know that I feel the same way."

"Will you take a walk with me around your property? I want to talk to you away from the others if that's alright?"

"Sure," Elizabeth said as she started to walk up the stairs, "I'll just let Emily and Francis know."

"I'll tell them," Jason said as he went up the stairs and told Emily that he and Elizabeth would be taking a small stroll on the property around the Villa, if they were needed.

"Okay, Francis is in the shower so I will tell him when he gets out."

"Thanks, Em," Jason said as he kissed her temple.

"Sure thing. Now go smooch my best friend," Jason gave Emily a look for her remark, "What? You know you want to."

"You're right. I do want to," Jason said as he made his way downstairs. At the bottom Elizabeth was waiting with a smile on her sweet face. It took his breath away.

"I'm ready if you are," Elizabeth said taking Jason's hand as they made their way to the door.

Once outside they walked around the expanse of the property, taking in the beauty of the surrounding rolling hills. It was slightly overcast and breezy which made it comfortable to be outside.

"You know, all of these years when I imagined coming to Italy I could only fathom doing so if I was going to visit with you. You probably don't realize how heartbreaking it was to start this journey of moving here with the understanding at least at the time that you weren't going to be part of this. I almost didn't do it."

"I'm still not completely sure why you didn't come to me," Jason said, "You know that I would move heaven and earth to help you."

"Yeah, I know you'd help me, but if you were going to stay with Sam then it would've been incredibly inappropriate to rely on you in that capacity. I don't want to be a burden in your life. You have enough of those without me adding to it unnecessarily, and this mess with Helena is more than anyone should willingly have to bear."

"You included. You shouldn't have to endure any of this, especially while pregnant. I was only with Sam because I thought I couldn't have you. Oh, by the way before I get distracted, what is your plan? Anna mentioned you had a plan."

"You're probably not going to like it with as gallant as you are."

"Gallant, hmm. I've never really been referred to as that before."

"Well you are," Elizabeth said flirting.

"You're shameless Elizabeth," Jason said leaning in for a kiss as Elizabeth readily accepted it. They broke apart with need for air, "Now what was that plan?"

"I can't get anything by you," Elizabeth said as Jason shook his head no, "I have several where did you want to start."

"Okay, let's start with the baby. What's your plan when you go to have him?"

"Well, I was planning on having an at home water birth. Before I left I checked into it and they have reputable midwives available to do this from here. They're certified."

"Are you sure about this something could go wrong?"

"That's true, but I could have complications in a hospital, and I plan to do a great deal in the way of security to this villa in the next two months. I'd feel more secure having our baby here. Helena is smart and will have done the math. She'll be looking for an American to give birth in May. I'm paying to keep his birth off the record here."

"I'll do whatever you want. I'm just concerned. You're the most important person in my life, and I don't think I've done enough to make you feel secure in that."

Elizabeth smiled and placed her right hand on his chest, "Jason, you've always shown that you care about me. I just was never sure of the depth. To be honest, with my obligation to Lucky, I felt insecure about showing how much I loved you to you too," Elizabeth turned her face to the side and smiled, "I mean I loved Lucky a lot, but I wasn't in love with him. How could I allow myself to love him completely when you've always been in the back of my mind? I confused my obligation to him with being in love. Trust me when I say I'm well past that," Elizabeth said as her face hardened, "Lucky will receive no clemency from me. He's my enemy."

"Woe there mighty Lioness, why don't you let me worry about Schmucky?"

"Ha, cute! How about we worry about him together? I'm tired of being taken advantage of by people. Lucky has crossed several lines. He's held a knife on you in the past and lied about it, tried to frame you this summer, cheated on me although it's not much of loss, pushed me while pregnant with our child, manhandled me, fired a gun near Cameron almost hitting him, left drugs where Cameron could get to them, and last but not least he raped and murdered my sister. I will have my revenge and I determined that he will not go quickly."

"I'm at loss for words Elizabeth. You've always left me at a loss of what to say. Generally, I'm usually in awe of your bravery and selflessness, especially where I'm concerned. For someone so well meaning, you certainly can become fierce when you think someone is treating me or someone you love unfairly. Don't worry about what he's done to me it's small potatoes. Though seeing you fired up over what Lucky has done to you, the kids, and your sister is superhot. I didn't know about the gun and the drugs around Cameron. If I had, he'd be dead by now. There's a part of me that has always wanted Cameron to be mine. I still want that."

"Oh you are smooth. I've always wanted Cameron to be yours too…I didn't use to be sweet, Jason. The real Elizabeth always got even and there are many days that I miss her. My enemies will rue the day they forced me to remember who I used to be."

Jason couldn't lie to himself. He was completely turned on by her. He'd never seen Elizabeth like this before except when she was defending him against Nikolas, Taggart and her grandmother, "Do you remember when you defended me against Taggart. I was in awe of you, such a gritty little thing. Your courage always drew me to you."

"I remember. He was nice to me, but such a jerk to you. That's where I drew the line. I just couldn't understand how he could treat you that way. You deserved better."

"Hmm…," Jason said laughing, "I loved getting under his skin by staying quiet. So tell me what your other plans are?"

"Can't distract you…Well I'm going to have guards added to the gate, the gate and the fence line will be secured with armed guards and upgraded to something from this millennium preferably. In the envelope, I had a check large enough to cover a security team that will have to be scrutinized by WSB intelligence and I also purchased four military grade German Shepards."

"Like police dogs?" Jason said in shock. He had seen them in the warehouse when the police tried to complete random raids on their shipments.

"Yep."

"I mean I get that you're scared, but are you sure that's the route you want to take? Don't get me wrong, I'm for whatever you want to do I just don't know much about dogs."

"I get it, but I want the kids and me to have four creatures in our lives so loyal and ferocious that anyone thinking of approaching us, better think again. That way if my back were turned for some reason, as I tend to one of the other children, the dogs wouldn't be distracted. Basically, I want something that isn't afraid to tear the jugular out of the enemy."

Jason was shocked by how fierce she'd become, "The enemy? Anyone in particular besides say Tom, Lucky and Helena?" Jason asked trying to gauge her.

"Sure, well let's see. Besides Tom and Helena there' Luke, Alcazar and Ric."

"Ric? I know he's given you trouble in the past. To be honest I had Stan pull up some footage of him hassling you. You haven't been completely forthright in your dealings with him Signora Cerio, I mean Miss Webber."

"You've been checking on me, huh?" Elizabeth said as she quirked an eyebrow. "The man is a dangerous pest who keeps dangerous people in his life, like Alcazar and at one point Faith. At every turn he sets out to hurt the man I love the most, just because he won't accept the fact that Sonny doesn't want him and neither do I. Although I suspect it has more to do with Sonny's trust in you and less to do with my preference for you.

"He put his hands on you the day you helped Sam escape from the hospital. Why didn't you tell me? I could kill him for touching you that way."

"He was already giving you enough trouble with Sam and she'd been through so much, I didn't have the heart to make any part of the situation about me. She was the one who was being framed. Not me. I'm used to Ric being an unrepentant ass. I was married to him after all. The man let me drink poison, and purposefully gave me enough birth control to give me an embolism. Whatever happens to Ric, he has it coming."

Just behind the house was a small separate building similar to a barn. Jason got an idea, grabbed her hand and quickly guided her in there out of sight, "Have a thing for barns, Jason?"

"No, I have a thing for you and the way you make me feel," Jason said as he leaned forward and kissed her feverishly and with complete abandon. It was at that moment that the clouds opened up in a torrent of rain just outside. Elizabeth responded to Jason by kissing him right back and tugged his shirt with as much strength as she could muster. Jason let out a throaty moan as they broke apart briefly for him to remove his shirt and start removing hers. Once their tops were removed he tasted her lips and neck and grabbed her breasts.

Elizabeth unsnapped the top of his pants and grasped onto his rigid length sliding her hand back and forth, "MINE," was all she said.

"That's right it's all yours. I'm going to make you come so hard there will be no mistaking just who exactly you belong to, E-liz-a-beth." Jason said as he nuzzled into her ear while pulled her yoga pants down along with her underwear and just stared at her. Pregnancy looked amazing on her. Her breasts were fuller, her hips had flared out more and body was teaming with life and vitality. She was perfect, the epitome of femininity, the kind of beauty that men went to war for, and it was all his.

Jason sank to his knees in the dusty barn leaving a long trail of kisses down the length of her body as he made his descent. "Open your legs E-liz-a-beth."

Elizabeth nearly came undone as he said her name like that but she was able to form coherent enough thought comply. As she opened her legs slightly, Jason moved his tongue in for the kill, licking her pink slit with precision and vigor, while using his rough thumb to play with her clit. She grabbed his hair forcing him to continue sweet ministration. "Mmmm. So good, Jason. It's good. Oh my…fuck…I'm coming," Elizabeth said as her head flung back in ecstasy.

"You taste delicious. Just the way I remember," Jason said as he sat back on the ground and pulled her onto his lap. Elizabeth straddled his lap facing him while lining up with his stiff cock as she impaled herself swiftly and mercilessly. Sitting on him she stilled her hips and immediately constricted her internal muscles around his weeping shaft. Jason eyes heavily lidded with lust flickered open with recognition as to what she was doing. "It's amazing that you can milk me using your muscles you little minx."

"That's not all I can do, you stud," Elizabeth said as started to ride him and continued to contract her muscles. She pushed Jason back and began to ride him with great enthusiasm. Fucking him mercilessly as she rode his shaft. Jason brought his hands to her hips as he thrust upward fucking her to the fullest, balls deep, "Oh God Jason, your dick is magic. I'm coming, come in me. Show me whose boss."

'I don't remember her being this forceful the last time, but I like it.' thought Jason who swiftly sat up and laid her back on the dirt covered barn. Neither seemed to care. They were merely animals doing what animals do at this point. Jason drove in with great force, "Yes, Jason that's it. That's it. Right there."

"You're so perfect. You were made for me to fuck," Jason whispered with great heat, "In fact I've wanted to fuck you with great regularity for nearly 8 years, and now that I've tasted you. I'm not giving you up," Jason said as he continued pump himself in her with great force. "So tight. So perfect. I'm coming. Do you feel what you mean to me, woman? Do you?"

"Yes."

"Who do you belong to, E-liz-a-beth?" Jason said as he continued pump, driving home his point.

"You," Elizabeth whispered as she lift her hips to meet him flushing a beautiful pink due to his attention.

"Ahh…nnn…Who do I be long too, E-liz-a-beth?" Jason asked as he thought 'She's so fucking hot.'

"Me….Jason. You belong to me," Elizabeth said as she was reaching a fevered pitch of her final orgasm.

"Damn straight." Jason said he fucked her to completion. Jason stayed up on his elbows so that he wouldn't crush their baby.

"Holy Shit you're amazing. You've absolutely wrecked me for anyone else," Elizabeth said absolutely sated.

"I feel the same way. I've been such a fool. I love you Elizabeth, baby or not, you need to be sure of that."

"I may not have been sure before, but you've left me in no doubt," Elizabeth said.

"That's good to know. Let me know if you find your confidence in my affection for you waning, and I will conduct additional lessons."

"There may come a time when I need a tutor."

"I'd be happy to oblige. Now tell me, my gorgeous girl, what are your other plans? I know there's more."

"Well….."


	16. Chapter 16

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

16.) Perspective

Just after midnight Saturday, Port Charles –Jake's

She was drunk off her ass. 'I can't believe he dumped me for that skinny, insipid nurse. What could she possibly have on me?' "I mean I'm stacked and I know how to sling a gun. I'm ride or die." Sam's arm was laying across the bar top, and her head was on her arm. In her left hand she played with an empty shot glass.

"What's botherin' you sweetheart?" Coleman asked.

"Jason dropped me for Elizabeth Webber. ME! Can you believe that? I mean look at me, and look at her."

'Oh yeah, I've looked at you both,' Coleman thought. 'Jason definitely traded up.' For his sake he voiced none of this.

"Sounds to me like you need to move on darlin'," Coleman said.

It was at that moment that Ric decided to drop into Jake's, "Well what do we have here? Are you still lamenting the loss of Jason Morgan, Samantha?"

"What do you care, Ric? You hate us both."

"Well you're half right. I don't hate you though. I just think you put your faith in the wrong person. Are you staying with your mom?"

"Nope. Things haven't been the same since she found out about that night."

"Tell me about it. So where are you staying?"

"I've rented a room upstairs…hiccup…for now," Sam slurred.

"Come on. I'll take you upstairs. Let's go." Ric directed Sam upstairs to her room and shut the door behind him. 'Sam is so easy. It'll be like taking candy from a baby.'

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I can't I just be nice Sam?"

"It's never happened before," Sam let out another hiccup, "Usually you're working an angle."

"Let's just say that I feel sorry for your situation. I'm trying to look at this from a different perspective," Ric said as he placed her on the bed. "You look lonely."

"What do you want Ric?"

"How about a partner in crime? I want to take Morgan down. What do you say, you wanna help?"

"What's in it for me?" Sam asked.

"Satisfaction at having thwarted Elizabeth's attempt at a happy life. Come on she's got the man you want. If he goes to prison, she'll be alone and much easier to pick off."

Sam gave it some thought. "Fine. I'm in," Sam said.

'Like I thought. It's like taking candy from a baby.' Ric thought as he grabbed Sam by the chin, "You want some action tonight?"

"With you?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Yeah with me. Do you see anyone else around?"

"That depends, Ric. Are you going to call me a slut tomorrow?"

"That depends, Samantha. Are you going to run right to Jason?"

"He threw me away for that skinny bitch. So no."

"Atta girl," Ric said as he took off his jacket and loosened his tie. It had been quite some time since he'd gotten laid, and Samantha's body would do nicely as receptacle for his pent up…emotions. He unbuttoned his pants and pulled out his erected cock. "Now, Now, Sam. Why don't you put your lips on that and smoke it."

Sam was beyond caring. It would feel good to have hands placed on her despite the source. Her mother be damned. Alexis had ruined so much for her along the way. It would feel good to rub it in her face again. So she grabbed Ric's hips and opened her mouth, swallowing his length in one gulp.

"Gah….Mmm…That's right take it you dirty bitch. Ah….You like sucking and fucking daddy don't you?" Ric said as he reached down and ripped open Sam's blouse, exposing her chest. He used his thumbs to flick her nipples.

"Pig," was all Sam uttered as a reply, before continuing with her task.

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9:30 AM Saturday Morning Port Charles Police Station

"It's nice of you to join us Lucky? I see that you've accomplished nothing in your time away," Mac said as he took in Lucky's typical disheveled appearance. "You could at least dress like a detective Lucky." Mac hated that he had to take Lucky back on the force, but it would've been a P.R. nightmare if he didn't. Plus, Ric had practically demanded it.

"I was following up on some leads. Seems Helena's been up to no good as usual. I'm trying to find information on Tom Baker. I heard he made contact with Emily, and has attempted the same with my ex-wife. The man is a menace and will have to be stopped."

"He went after Sarah Webber too," Mac said.

"He did?" Lucky said in feigned shock, "Is she okay?"

"He killed her Lucky," Mac replied.

"Does Elizabeth know?" asked Lucky.

"I don't know."

'I'll have to find her so I can comfort her,' Lucky thought with a self-satisfied smirk, 'She won't be able to resist me.'

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Meanwhile at Jakes…

"Mmmmm…"Sam moaned as she woke up out of her drunken fog, "Shit. I fucked him again. Why do I always make stupid drunken decisions? And I agreed to help him too!" 'So gross.' Sam thought as she made her way to the bathroom noticing that at some point Ric left.

'Oh well, I guess I can help him. If it will ruin Saint Elizabeth's life then I will be happy to help in the destruction of her life.'

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4:00 PM Cortona

"I really like this market," Elizabeth said. "All the food seems so fresh compared to our own back home."

"Clink-Clack, Clink-Clack," the shoes of the nuns could be heard walking up the ancient stone walkway as they walked through the market and made their way back to the church. The afternoon bells chimed, and it brought a sense of calm to Elizabeth. It felt right to be here in this moment, with Jason and her children.

"I like the smells of the market," Jason said as he took in the smell of fresh bread, "I like the view too. Of course the best view is standing right next to me."

"How did I get so blessed? I may need you to pinch me at some point to make sure that this is all real," Elizabeth said beaming a huge smile.

"That I couldn't do. I couldn't hurt you even if it was playful. You're too precious to me," Jason said as he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it while he took in her beautiful profile. Once again she left him breathless. 'I can't lose this. This…with her is all I've ever wanted.'

Elizabeth and Jason were walking hand in hand. Emily had decided to stay back to get some sleep. She'd been feeling under the weather, and the grief she was feeling over the loss of her dad was starting to catch up with her now that she had the proper time to deal with it. She was glad she decided to come with Jason. She needed time to gain perspective.

Francis had decided to stay back as well. He'd been researching the best places around Cortona to purchase security equipment for the upgrades he planned on making to Elizabeth's home.

Cameron was holding Jason's hand, and Aurora was latched onto her Aunt Lizzie's. Cameron leaned his head forward and gave his cousin quick a nod silently asking her to go ahead.

"Aunt Lizzie," Aurora said looking up to Liz with a big smile.

"Yes, Rorabug," Elizabeth said looking down with a sweet smile.

"Can we get some giglioto?"

Elizabeth couldn't contain her laughter.

"What's giglioto?" Jason asked with a big smile as Elizabeth couldn't contain her giggles.

"She means gelato. And yes Aurora, you both have been very good this afternoon and so patient while Jason and I picked out the furniture for the other rooms."

"Yes," Cameron said as he came forward, "Awesome! Woo-hoo! I can't wait for giglioto."

This time it was Jason who couldn't contain his laughter. Neither one of the children could get the name of the cool dessert correct. The children had stolen his heart in the short time that he'd been with them and he was taken with them. This family was all he ever wanted, and with this woman too. 'Boy did I get lucky, if Sam had ever gotten pregnant I may have missed this. My son will actually end up having a wonderful mother. What more could a man want? Samantha was not at a point where a child would come first. I shudder to think…'

"Penny for your thoughts?" Elizabeth asked as she noticed Jason was suddenly deep in thought. As they approached the gelato cart.

"I was just thanking God for you. How does a man like myself get so lucky as to have the most perfect woman be not only in my life but also be the mother of my child?"

"I'm not perfect, Jason. In fact, I'm terribly flawed," Elizabeth said quirking an eyebrow and shaking her head in a manner that indicated that she didn't think she was anything special.

"Not from my vantage point. You've always been my angel personified."

"That's how I feel about you. You're my hero," Elizabeth said with sweet meaningful smile.

"Yippy," said Aurora as they got to the cart, "I would like chocolate, giglioto pwease."

"Yeah, and I would like chocate too!" Cameron said, "I want all the chocate that you've got."

"Cameron We-Cerio!" Elizabeth caught herself before continuing as she smiled at the vendor and tried to talk without laughing, "Two small scoops for each of them please."

"Cameron you gots to say thank you! You forgot your manners," Aurora whispered trying to help her cousin get out of trouble.

Jason tried hard to hide his smile, 'Aurora was such a good-natured little girl, and Cameron was all boy,' It was a cute dynamic to watch the two youngsters together. They clearly loved one another and had each other's back. 'I hope this works out so I can nurture this.'

"Thank you," Cameron said to the vendor taking his cousin's advice, under his mother's penetrating but pleasant glare.

"Gwazi," Aurora said having picked up on some of the culture.

"Gr-az-i," Elizabeth tried to correct her.

"Yeah, Gwazi's what I said Aunt Lizzie," Aurora said with a big proud smile as she licked her cone and placed a hand on her hip in a display of pure femininity.

Liz and Jason just laughed and shook their heads.

The children set about eating their gelato. It was at that moment that a bunch of small children came running by, enjoying the day. Aurora looked on somewhat somberly wishing she could run and play too. This didn't go unnoticed by Elizabeth who observed her niece's forlorn expression.

"You alright, Rorabug?"

"Aunt Lizzie, when will I get to see the doctor?"

"A little over a month from now sweet girl. Is not being able to run bothering you?"

Aurora shook her head 'yes.'

"I imagine it would. How about when the doctor clears you we set you up to take dance lessons? I know how you love to dance."

"No," Aurora said shaking her head.

"No?" Questioned Elizabeth. Jason looked on confused. He'd seen the pictures of her back at Elizabeth's studio.

"No, I don't want to dance. It's all my fault."

"What's all your fault?" Elizabeth questioned alarmed.

"They died on the way to my dance practice for my recital. My dancing got Gwam and my daddy killed. I've been bad."

Elizabeth looked at Jason and then closed her eyes trying but failing as she burst in tears hearing this, before saying, "Aurora sweetheart. Your dancing had nothing to do with the accident that hurt your Gram and Daddy. You aren't to blame and neither is your dancing, and there isn't a bad bone in your little body. Is this what you've been thinking the whole time? That you've caused the accident."

Aurora nodded her head 'yes', as tears leaked out and she cast her little head downward in apparent shame.

"Aurora look at me," Elizabeth said.

Aurora slowly lifted her head and opened her big expressive brown eyes to look at her aunt.

"Aurora, a woman named Helena is responsible for the accident not you. If anyone is to blame it's her, and me. If I wasn't a friend to the wrong person, you, Gram and your Daddy would have never been hurt. Don't ever blame yourself. There's plenty of blame to go around, but none of this was your fault."

"Are you sure that I wasn't bad?"

"Yes. If I hadn't married Lucky or been his friend then this wouldn't have happened. The fault lies Helena and myself. Please don't blame yourself, or give up dancing. You're such a wonderful little dancer."

"Alwight," Aurora said wiping her tears away.

"Hey Aurora, wets go look at the fountain."

"Can we, Aunt Lizzie?"

"Sure, sweetie. No running though," Elizabeth said back. Elizabeth waited until they were out of hearing range before she continued, "Oh my God, Jason. The whole time. She thought she was to blame the whole time. How could I not see this?"

"Elizabeth, how could you know if she didn't tell you? You've been doing well considering the year that you've had. Give yourself a break," Jason said trying to reassure her, "You were wonderful with her."

Elizabeth's face hardened, "Helena has to pay for this Jason. If I have to fight to my last breath, that bitch will pay," Elizabeth said clutching her fists, "I don't plan on her going quickly either."

"You don't have to do this alone. Helena is our problem. She's hurt the woman that I love, and she's after our child. Possibly the other children too. She sent a maniac after you and my sister. She's made an automatic enemy out of me."

"I want her to suffer to her last breath for what she's put that child through. It's not just the nightmares or the fact that Aurora mistakenly thinks she's responsible for this. Dr. Drake had to carve that baby up to save her. Her heart might never recover. There's no forgiveness for that. Every breath that Helena draws is an insult. That's why Luke has to suffer too, and Lucky. These games have gone too far."

"I've never seen you like this before," Jason said as they both continued to watch the kids play at the fountain.

"I don't know how to describe it Jason. I feel like something in me has snapped. Like maybe I've gained a new perspective. I've always been protective of people that I care about, but some of the gentility that I normally possess is gone and right now I don't want any of it back. I don't feel pity, like I normally would when slighted. I feel… an unyielding rage. You and your sister are among the very few people that I care for, but the children. Our children…or someday if Em, has any…If Helena targets any of them I will kill whoever I have to, however many I have to in order to keep them safe. God help whoever decides to aide Helena, they're going to need it."

"I don't see anything wrong with your line of thinking. You've been through too much to let any of this slide. I will help you, and you will have what you need to feel comfortable in taking care of our children. That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"What was that?" Elizabeth asked some of the previous anger dissipating.

"Marry me?" Elizabeth looked shocked, "And before you start about obligations and all of that, I meant what I said when I asked you the first time. I don't feel obligated. I've wanted you for 8…"

Before Jason could finish his thoughts Elizabeth answered with a firm, "Yes, but I have one rule."

Jason laughed, "And what is that?"

Elizabeth answered, "Simple…No danger speech. I know your job is dangerous, and I promise I won't take dangerous chances where your job is concerned. I will listen to what you say, but you can't push me away. My heart can't take it. I will make that promise to you regarding your enemies, but I can't make that promise regarding mine."

"Fine. It's a deal," Jason said grabbing her face delicately, "There's just one more thing. I want to adopt Cameron and Aurora. Aurora can call me Uncle Jason if she wants or just Jason, or if time passes and she looks at us like parents she can call me dad, but I look at them and can't help but be in love with them. They're perfect, and I only want to protect them and you. Please?"

"What kind of fool would I be to turn that down? This…This right here is why you're my hero," Elizabeth said as she kissed Jason on the cheek.

"Angel, you've made my whole life."

Elizabeth and Jason turned their heads when they heard the kids squeal in delight as they both managed to splash each other.

"We better go retrieve them," Elizabeth said glowing in the moment.

"I finally see it."

"See what?" Elizabeth said clasping Jason's hand as they made their way over to the fountain.

"What they mean when they say that women who are pregnant glow."

At hearing that comment, Elizabeth blushed thus enhancing her glow even more.

"You're so damn beautiful. It's a miracle of genetics that someone as beautiful as you even exists," Jason said.

"Me…beautiful? Oh you flatterer you. The entire concept of Roman Gladiators was built with you in mind. You take my mind right to the gutter."

"You're not the only one."

Elizabeth chuckled hearing this, "We're going to have to stop this or it's going to get out of hand in the middle of the town square."

"That would be something," Jason said as he placed his arms around her firmly holding her and their baby in his hands. 'This is what heaven feels like. I'm such a lucky bastard.'

"Hey you two hooligans. Just what are you two doing?"

"Nothing," both children said in response, although their clothes indicated otherwise.

"Nothing, huh? Now something about your clothes suggests that something is definitely up."

"We were just splashin' Aunt Lizzie," Aurora said with a big smile on her face as her hands were both behind her back and she swayed around in manner that was supposed to belie innocence.

"It was an accident," Cameron said smiling widely as chocolate covered his face.

"Alright you two. Let's head back. You both are such stinkers."

"Aurora started it," Cameron said eager to shift the blame.

"Aurora, is that true?"

Aurora looked down guiltily for a moment and shook her head yes.

"Don't worry sweetie, neither one of you are in any trouble….This time," Elizabeth said arching a well-defined eyebrow to punctuate her point.

"Really?" Aurora said in surprise.

"Really! Come on let's get home you stinkers."

Jason was content just to watch the exchange, as he was basking in the delight to be involved in such an innocent moment.

His life as he knew had taken on a new perspective.

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Port Charles 11:00 AM – Saturday. Pier

"Do we know where he is at the moment?" Ric said as he paced while on the phone.

"What do you mean you've lost him?" Ric questioned

"So you let him take off and didn't tell me? This could ruin everything. You better find him or your life will be the forfeit," Ric said in anger as he ended the phone call. 'This doesn't bode well for my plans,' Ric thought and then uttered, "Damn you, Jason.'

From her vantage point Carly remained unseen. She waited patiently for Ric to walk away. Luckily, she didn't have to wait too long. Ric strode off clearly pissed off.

Carly emerged from the shadows and pulled out her phone and hit speed dial, "Where are you?"

"Can you wait 10 minutes, there's something going on and I've got to tell you."

There was a pause, "Great, I'll see you in a few."

Carly made her way to the coffee shop, and walked back towards Sonny's office. Like usual she strode right on in, and quickly shut the door behind her.

"What's up, Carly?"

"Ric's up to something."

"What else is new?" Sonny replied.

"No, this is new. He had someone tailing Jason but they lost him, and boy was he pissed."

"I'm not surprised," Sonny said nonplussed.

"Is Jason okay?"

"Yeah, he's out of town. Took Emily with him," Sonny replied.

"Good. This Tom Baker is one sick freak. Did Jason tell you that Tom left mementos in both Emily and Elizabeth's locker and is targeting the little girl too?"

"No, he didn't get that far. Here's a picture of him Carly. If you see him run. He's violent when he attacks. Jason called me earlier to touch base. Apparently, Elizabeth had to go over the rape with Anna Devane. He beat her throughout the attack."

"I guess I just never understood," Carly admitted.

"Well that makes both of us. I guess it's time that we looked at Jason's feelings for Elizabeth from a different perspective."

"I know what you mean. I've gone about dealing with her the wrong way in the past. I hope Jason can forgive me, and hopefully may be Elizabeth will too."


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you all for the kind reviews.

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

17.) Dead Men Tell No Tales or Do They?

The children walked ahead of them toward the Villa. Elizabeth turned to Jason and spoke, "Jason, before we go in I just wanted to tell you that I love you. We've spent so many years avoiding this topic, that now that I'm allowed to say it and feel it openly I find that I can't help myself."

Jason ran hand across her cheek as Elizabeth leaned into his palm, "I know what you mean. I've spent so many years just wanting to be able to hold you. For you to look at me and know that I love you. Now that we can, I just feel like shouting from the rooftops. Does that make me crazy, you think?"

"Only about each other... Let's go in and put the kids down for the evening."

Jason and Elizabeth walked into the Villa to find Emily in the living room talking with Aurora and Cameron. Emily looked at Jason and Elizabeth and said, "Francis is waiting for you two in the kitchen."

Jason led the way with Elizabeth walking the short distance behind them.

"Hey Francis," Elizabeth said.

"Hey Liz. So I've taken the liberty of ordering the parts you need to upgrade your fence. Anna called while you were away. She's taken care of Sarah's remains. They will be shipped to Port Charles, per your request and she will have a small funeral. Are you sure you don't want to attend?"

"I want to attend, but that wouldn't be wise. This is a way to lure me out into the open and track me. I will not give into my enemies so easily. If I wasn't pregnant and could maneuver myself easily then I would of course attend, but I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks where the kids are concerned. Did Anna say anything else?"

"Lucky, surfaced a couples hours ago at the police station. Apparently, he's hell bent on trying to find Helena and Tom Baker, and claims that he spent the last few days working undercover to find out what she was up to."

"Well that's bullshit," Elizabeth replied looking at Jason, "He spent the last few days covering his tracks after murdering my sister."

Elizabeth walked over to her disposable cell, and dialed Anna.

"What's she doing?" Francis asked.

"We're about to find out," Jason said curiously as he folded his arms across his chest and watched his lady take command.

The phone rang twice before she picked up, "Anna, it's me. You're on speaker," Elizabeth said in a well-rehearsed British accent.

"Oh, that's very good, Love. I take that you've received some of my messages."

"Indeed. I was wondering if perhaps it wouldn't be prudent to say, make the casket audible."

"Are you sure you're okay with that?" Anna asked.

"Of course. People say things at funerals, and I bet a particular someone would have a lot to say if he thought the person he was speaking with couldn't repeat anything. Funerals are after all the one time people tend to be completely frank with the decedent, because in theory the person who has died already knows the truth."

"That's an excellent point, darling. Are you sure you don't want a job working with us when a certain event takes place? You'd make a terrific agent."

"I'm content being me at the moment, but thank you for the ever enticing offer. Where do we stand on my special order?"

"They're in route. Two of each gender. Highly trained, tenacious, and incredibly loyal." Anna stated.

"Excellent. It's nice to know that money talks, but the dead do not. Thank you for all that you've done."

"Not a problem, Love. I'll be in contact soon."

"Toodle pip," Elizabeth said as she ended the call.

As she looked up she noticed Jason and Francis' eyes were on her and she started to smile, "What?"

"Where did you learn that accent kid?"

"I've always been able to do it. I have a good ear for it. I thought that maybe if anyone was listening in they may not recognize a British accent."

"A sharp thinker."

"I think what you both fail to realize is that as a teen, I was the liar. I'm good at having to think on my feet. At least I used to be. I used to be able to manage the lie. Now not so much, it's so much easier to be honest."

"So you're investing in guard dogs?" Elizabeth shook her head yes, "What breed?" asked Francis.

Elizabeth just gave an enigmatic smile and lifted an eyebrow and said with a straight face, "Yorkshire Terriers."

"For real?" Said Francis. Elizabeth burst out laughing and shook her head no, "You're bad you know that. Anna told me about the guard dogs but nothing about the breed or training," Francis added.

"We're getting four German Shepherds, two boys, two girls."

"It's interesting that you would employ dogs, I guess I wouldn't have thought of it. We're so used to getting, and forgive the pun, hounded by them when the police conduct a search. What made you want to employ the use of them?"

Elizabeth gave a great big smile, "Well, they can hear and detect things we can't. Dogs have a way of sniffing out people's intent. They can tell if a person is genuine or not. Kind of like Jason here."

"Hey, are you comparing me to a dog?"

"Never honey, just some of the uncanny abilities that you possess."

Jason just pouted, but Elizabeth just kissed him on the cheek, turned to Francis and continued, "Also, Helena works with poison. I want them trained to pick out certain scents and react accordingly. I also want to know that if someone approaches the children in a way that's meant to cause harm that there's a strong possibility that the dog will react and bite the fuck out of the person who approaches them. Like I told Jason earlier, I'm not taking unnecessary chances."

"Seems like you've given this a lot of thought," Francis added.

"It's all that I've had time to do. Remember, I was an artist first, so I have a creative mind. It doesn't mean I'm particularly smart, but I have no problem dreaming up the possibilities."

"From what I've seen you're pretty smart. You figured out it was Lucky and not Tom Baker that harmed your sister in record time," Jason said while Francis shook his head in agreement.

"That's because Lucky is inept, and has been for years. He's a cop who can't even forensically copy what he read in a crime scene report. He's singled himself out. He's not a smart alleged criminal like say you or Sonny."

"That reminds me Jason there was a call from Sonny earlier."

"I can step out," Elizabeth said pointing towards the exit of the kitchen.

"No, you can be trusted. You can stay," Francis said. "This isn't necessarily business."

"What did Sonny say, Francis?" Jason asked.

"Carly overheard Ric on the docks, talking about someone tailing you. She overheard him say that the tail lost you, apparently he was angry about that fact."

"Carly wasn't seen was she?" Elizabeth asked.

"Apparently not. Why?" asked Francis.

"It could be bad for her if he finds out that she's on to him. Remember he kidnapped her and held her in our house. He's on my list too."

"Why? I thought you were on good terms with Ric?" ask Francis.

"I was on cordial terms with him, but he's made some threats against the children and this child in particular and there will be a price to pay for that," Elizabeth said as she crossed her arms over her abdomen in a protective manner. Jason made his way behind her and wrapped her up in his strong arms.

"What did he say? Are you going to have him offed, Lizzie?" Francis asked concern.

Liz smiled at that, "He threatened to kill this baby the same way that Faith killed my other baby, by pushing me down a flight of stairs. Simply having him killed would be too easy, Francis. I want him defeated first. I have a plan for our dear district attorney."

"Jason, I take it you've heard about this, because you don't seem all that surprised." Jason shook his head in response before Francis continued, "Speaking of Ric, I got an interesting text from Coleman, while you two were out on your walk this morning. Ric and Sam were together last night at Jake's."

Jason just lifted his shoulders in indifference, "If he makes her happy. I'm happy for her."

"You took that better than I thought," Francis replied.

"Why would I care? I've got the woman that I love right here in my arms. Sam doesn't have anything that I want."

"Should we tell them Jason?" Elizabeth asked as she tilted her head back and placed a kiss on his chin.

"It's fine with me."

At that moment Emily walked in to the room, "The kids are laying down in what is supposed to be Cameron's room. I set them up with a movie to watch."

"Thanks Em. Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I'm guessing it was just the jetlag."

"Well if it continues we'll take you to the local clinic and have them take a look at you. We were just about to come and get you because we have news."

"What news?" Emily asked.

"I asked Elizabeth to marry me, for the second time and she said 'Yes.'"

"Oh my God," Emily said with excitement, "I'm so happy for you."

"Congratulations," said Francis.

"Thank you both. Will you be our witnesses?" Jason said.

"Sure, but when is this taking place?" Emily asked.

"As soon as possible. We want to be married before Jacob arrives, and we want the adoption paperwork prepared too. There will be no question when we eventually head back as to who's in our family and what place they hold in our heart."

"So you're adopting Cameron and Aurora too! That's wonderful, Jason! So now Aurora will be my niece too! I can't wait to spoil her rotten. This is just too exciting!" Emily said walking over to Elizabeth and Jason and embrace them in a hug.

"We need to talk to the kids about it yet, but I'm hoping that I can prove just how much I love them."

"You'll do fine, Jase!" Emily exclaimed.

"I agree. There isn't a man better suited to father a child than Jason. My children are very lucky."

Jason was touched beyond words. 'I can't believe that she has so much faith in me.'

Elizabeth let out a small yawn, "Jason and I picked furniture for each of your rooms. It arrive the same day as the kid's new furniture so everyone will have their own space. I hope you both like it."

"I'm sure whatever you picked is fine," Emily said.

"I just want you both comfortable."

As the night started to wind down everyone went to their respective rooms. Elizabeth made her way over to the bathroom to change and then went to check on the kids. They were soundly asleep once again curled up and facing each other. Elizabeth crept into her bedroom and pulled out her small digital camera and then walked back to what would be Cameron's room. She took two quick photos and crept out slowly only to back into Jason. Elizabeth jumped about two feet but did well not to let out a scream.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you," Jason said concerned, "What are you up to?"

"I frightened myself. Come here you've got to see this," Elizabeth said while taking his hand and carefully pulling him forward. She opened the door to Cameron's room and the children were just as she left them, curled up, facing each other and completely adorable.

Jason smiled at the two toddlers and smiled. 'They're so innocent. I wonder what that must be like. I haven't been that innocent in very long time.'

Elizabeth turned and grabbed his arm to slowly lead him out of Cameron's room, "I say we go make use of our bed," she said wiggling her eyebrows, "if you catch my drift."

Jason swept Elizabeth into his arms bridal style while she wrapped her arms around his neck in return. He carried her into their room that only had a small lamp on for ambiance. Elizabeth slowly shut and locked the door. She turned to Jason and just looked at him biting her lower lip. Jason took in her appearance, strode forward and wrapped his arms around her. He dipped his head and kissed her with everything he had.

Not to be out done, Elizabeth kissed him back laying her heart completely on the line. She dragged her fingers in hair, as she started to love him with great fervor. She kissed face, neck, and ear causing him to tremble.

"Make me yours, Jason," Elizabeth whispered in a lusty voice, "I ache to feel you inside me."

"I ache to make you mine," Jason replied as he pulled her shirt over her head. He dipped his head down and kissed neck and chest, while unclasping her bra. Her skin was so soft. He gently rubbed his thumbs over nipples while pulling her pants and underwear down. He laid kisses on her nipples and lightly nipped at the left and then right sucking as he went. She tasted so sweet that he could spend all day feasting on her. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I want to spend every day worshipping you."

"Ummm…Jason your words make me so wet for you. Elizabeth unbuttoned his pants and pulled down his boxer briefs. She instantly dropped down to her knees worshipping his glorious physique the whole way down. Kissing every inch of him as she settled on the floor.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing?" Jason said as his voice hitched in his throat.

"You're a smart man, you tell me."

Elizabeth leaned forward and grabbed stiffened cock and placed a tentative kiss on the top of it, licking the slit of its precum along the way, her hot breath on his head, making it visibly twitch in anticipation, before wrapping her hand around the base and bringing it forward for her to love.

With her lips wrapped around him and her hand working the base, Jason was lost in a lusty fog. He was doing his best to stay still, but was failing in that endeavor, as his hips started slowly undulate forward. It was clear that she was giving this her all, and he was loving every second of it, as he gently placed his hand on her head starting to slowly fuck her mouth.

"Mmmm….nnnn..that's the spot El-iz-a-beth. Feels amazing…" Jason said as he was peaking in a world of ecstasy. He carefully pulled his cock from Elizabeth's hot mouth.

"Why didn't you let me finish you? I could tell you needed it."

"I need to be in you more," Jason said as he pulled her up and ravished her thoroughly. He turned them around and carefully placed her on the bed, kissing his way up and down her body. Elizabeth writhed in response to his kisses.

"Jason please fuck me I'm more than ready," Elizabeth begged.

Jason opened her legs and settled himself in between them. He slowly glided himself in her velvet tunnel and made sweet love to her.

"Jas-on, J-Jas-on, that feels so amazing…Don't stop. Keep g-go-ing," Elizabeth said as she lifted her hips to reciprocate his efforts, "That's it right there." Taking her legs and securing them behind his butt.

"Does that feel good, E-liz-a-beth?"

"Amazing..., you fill me up so well," Elizabeth replied as reached up and kissed him nipping his lower lip in response to his affection, "Oh my God, I'm coming."

Jason reached down and lightly grabbed the juncture between her neck and left shoulder to aide her stillness and his penetration, "Touch yourself El-liz-a-beth." Elizabeth did as instructed and started to come. "I can't hold out much longer. You grip me so good, so tight. I love fucking you." Jason said as he came doing his best to be quiet as he shattered just above her.

When he finished he stayed over her, doing his best not to collapse on her or their child.

"That was…"

"Yeah…I'm not sure there are adequate words to describe it.

"I was going to go with otherworldly, but I think you're right. Words don't do it justice," Elizabeth said sated and spent.

"If I can go to bed and wake up with you like this every day. I will be the luckiest man to have ever lived, my beautiful goddess."

"It is a fortunate woman who would get to worship at your temple every day, but I'm willing show unrelenting reverence in my devotion to your…body, mind, and soul."

Elizabeth laid her head back in exhaustion, as Jason turned to his side and looked at her. 'Yep, I'm the luckiest man that ever lived.' He curled to his side and scooped her into his embrace, and covered them with a top sheet. Placing an arm around her protectively.

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10 PM – Port Charles.

Sonny had just walked into his house, and turned on the news. Pouring himself a drink he began to listen in.

It was clear that the police were at a major scene.

The news reporter on the scene was starting to speak:

 _"_ _Well Doug and Shelby, this horrific discovery has shaken the Port Charles waterside community residents to their core." The reporter said as she pointed to the scene behind her using her thumb and then continued, "The man's body has been identified as, 41 year old, Lorenzo Alcazar. A local store merchant happened upon the grizzly scene as he was taking out the trash this morning._

 _"_ _I'm standing with Joe Bradford a local restaurant owner who came upon the scene this morning. Mr. Bradford can you tell the viewers at home what happened this morning?"_

 _"_ _Yeah…uh…I was bringin' out da trash like I do every mornin', when I look over and I sees somethin' floatin' in tha wada."_

 _"_ _What happened next?" asked the reporter._

 _"_ _Well, I just saw somethin' floatin' there, so I says to myself, Joe. That's my name, I call myself Joe. I says Joe that looks like a stiff." Joe says lifting his hand animatedly, "So I got closer and that's exactly what it was. I was like I betta call da cops. So I did."_

 _"_ _It must have been shocking to make that discovery," Said the reporter._

 _"_ _I know right, but hey it's the nature of the area."_

 _"_ _Well thank you for relaying that story Mr. Bradford. Police on the scene have been reluctant to release any more information. We will stay on this story as it develops, Maria Alvarez, HNN News Port Charles, back to you."_

 _Shelby started speaking, "If you have any information the police have asked you to call Crime Eliminators at,"_ Sonny muted the television set and dialed Diana Miller his attorney.

The phone rang twice, "Do you have any idea what time it is? I was just getting ready for bed."

"The news just announced that Lorenzo Alcazar was killed."

"What? Did they say how?"

"No."

"Full disclosure, I'm presumably speaking to an innocent party."

"Naturally, Diane. Just stay on top of it."

"Naturally,"


	18. Chapter 18

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

18.) The Plot Thickens

The light crept through the bedroom a few hours before. Jason and Elizabeth had made good use of the early sunlight as they enjoyed each other's bodies. Elizabeth's heart was full at the moment as she thought back to earlier that morning in Jason's warm embrace and the love they shared between them. 'I'm a fortunate woman,' Elizabeth thought. She was sipping tea and had been constructing plans in her head as she looked out the window. The window was open, and led to a small balcony that was closed off by a very old iron rod fence. Elizabeth was careful not to lean on it, because she no faith in its stability. As she looked out the window she took in the people milling about up the street. An elderly man walked down the lane as he seemed to do every day, and brought flowers to all small flower pot. He changed the flowers out daily, and it was a moving gesture. "Who was she, I wonder?" The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she knew that Jason was behind her.

He slowly brought his arms around her, in case she jumped. He didn't trust the iron rod fence in front of her either, "Who are you wondering about?"

Elizabeth turned her head to the side slightly to look at Jason and then nodded her head down toward the older man. "That older gentleman makes his way to the flower pot every day, and changes the flowers out. She must have been something," Elizabeth said with a smile.

"Probably, one of kind. Like the woman I'm holding in my arms right now," Jason paused, "Will you do me a favor?"

"Anything, you know that?" Elizabeth said as she turned around to face Jason.

He slowly backed them away from the window, "Will you not go near the window. I'm not sure how secure the welding is on that fence."

"I was thinking the same thing. I just got lost in thought for a moment, but you're right."

Jason let Elizabeth go and closed the windows and locked them. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to control you I promise. If anything were to happen to you…I just couldn't take it."

"You don't need to say anymore. I get it. I so want to give you a healthy baby Jason," Elizabeth said as she touched his face so lovingly, "I adore you. My heart hasn't been this happy since I first held Cameron in my arms. It's an overwhelming emotion."

"I know what you mean. When I touch you, knowing that you're mine after so many years of wishing it could be so, there's nothing to compare the feeling to, and I'm not known for my ability to emote."

"You don't have to. Your eyes have always let me know exactly what you were feeling, I guess I just needed to hear it, and now that you've said it, it's the most beautiful sound in the world."

"I feel the same way. God, we've wasted a lot of time. I don't regret any of the choices that we've made that have got us here, I just wish we could've been quicker about it."

"I share your," Elizabeth was interrupted.

"Mommy, mommy!" Cameron said running up to his mother.

"What baby?"

"Mr. Francis is gonna get me. I better hide."

"Hurry Cam, get under the covers." Liz said walking to the bed pulling the comforter back and then pulling it forward.

"Okay."

Jason walked over and made sure he was covered.

"Have either of you seen Cameron?" Francis asked.

"Nope we haven't seen him." Elizabeth said as she winked at him and pointed to the obvious mound that was giggling and shaking underneath the comforter.

Jason was doing his best not to laugh, but Cameron was so cute that it was hard not to keep a straight face.

"I just don't know where he could be Francis." Jason said.

"Oh, well, okay. I was going to dip out some gelato for myself and Aurora, I thought he might want some."

"Gigliotto! I want some!" Cameron said getting up, shoving the comforter off of him and running out of the room.

Jason and Elizabeth looked at each other and laughed, "Are you sure you want in on this chaos? It's not too late to escape while you can," Elizabeth asked with a smirk.

"Are you kidding me? This is the kind of chaos that I've been waiting for."

"It is? Well then, I'm your girl."

"No, Aurora is going to be my girl. You're my beautiful lady."

"Jason Morgan, you are so smooth."

"Can we talk to the kids tonight?" Jason said as he tucked a wayward strand of hair behind his ears.

"Absolutely. We'll sit them down together."

"I can't wait."

"Me either," Elizabeth said as she kissed Jason's lips.

The kiss was gentle and at same time was full of passion, and it was…interrupted by call from Sonny.

"Hey," Jason answered.

"Hey man, how are things going? You doing what you need to?"

"Yeah, what's going on?"

Elizabeth exited the room to give him his privacy, while Jason watched her leave.

Emily was sitting at the upstairs couch.

"Hey Em. Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really. My stomach has really been bothering me."

"Em, how long has your stomach been upset?"

"About a week. I haven't been eating regularly, and with dad's passing I just have been all off kilter."

"Grief will do that to you," Elizabeth said not completely convinced, "Not to get personal but has your cycle been regular?"

Emily thought for a moment, "Oh my God. Holy Crap, Liz. You think I may be pregnant, and you may be right. I've been so stressed that I haven't been paying attention."

"Well, we can go to the market later and pick up a couple of tests. Have you spoken to Nik?"

"I sent him a brief text when we landed the other night."

"Gosh, he's going to be over the moon if you're pregnant."

"Yeah, but he's been so sick with those headaches."

"Just what did Craig do to him?"

"Well…."

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"Yeah, what's going on?" Jason asked Sonny while he watched Elizabeth exit the room and approach his sister.

"Alcazar was found dead last night."

"What? How?"

"Police won't say. All I know is what the news was reporting. Some restaurateur found him floating in the water dockside."

"Any news on Skye?" Jason asked.

"Last I heard she was out of town. She finally got her kid back."

"Well, that's one less problem. Who do we think did this? The Zacchara's or maybe the Russians?"

"I couldn't tell you, but I'll put out feelers. How's she doing?"

"She's relieved now that I'm here, but she has a lot on her mind. Did Francis tell you about her parents?"

"No, we didn't get to speak that long. I heard Tom Baker got to her sister?"

"Well her parents were executed in the Congo, and cremated two months ago."

"God that's awful. Give her my condolences. I think she's more than suffered enough."

"Handled it like a champ though. I've never seen her so focused. There's a real change in her. She's determined," Jason said in awe of Elizabeth's strength.

Jason went on to add,"I'm going to need to be cryptic regarding the sibling's death. TB didn't do it, but we have a good idea who did. You remember a certain errand boy that we use to have who we thought went up in smoke…Literally."

"Yeah, I remember. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"It's a revenge sort of thing. When we speak again I'll tell you more. Just keep your guard up. People are looking into it."

"Gotcha." Sonny said

"Bobbie and Carly," Jason said.

"Yep," Sonny said catching the drift. "I hear you. We'll double our efforts. I'll be in touch as we learn more."

"Later." Jason said as he ended the call.

Jason walked out of the bedroom. "I just heard from Sonny that Alcazar was found murdered."

"Wow. How?"

"We don't know. Some restaurateur found him floating just off the docks. According to the news."

"Good riddance," said Emily. Jason and Elizabeth just stared at her, "What? He left that briefcase in the Metro Court. By my estimation that makes him half responsible for everything that happened that night. I can't even look at Skye right now."

"I can certainly relate to your emotions on that Emily. What happened to Alan and Robin was just awful. Craig hit your dad so hard. To this day, I've never seen anything like it. It was appalling."

"I know," Emily stated melancholy before tears cascaded down her face. Elizabeth just hugged her in response. "I'm sorry Elizabeth. Here I am crying over just losing my dad and you've lost everyone."

"Hey now. Wait a second. You don't have to be sorry for grieving. You and Alan were very close. I cried just as hard when my Gram died. I still cry. She was the closest thing that I've had to a parent in years. My home is your home, and your tears are mine. Alan may have had flaws, but he was a good man, and gifted doctor. I know that I'll miss seeing him around the hospital. He was always very kind to me. Please don't ever apologize for crying, your tears are safe with me. Yours too, Jason."

Jason just stood and watched. He missed Alan too. Especially, now that he knew he was going to be a dad. His guidance would be missed and so would the opportunities to have a real relationship with him. Watching Elizabeth and his sister warmed his heart though. It was just another sign that he had picked the right woman to be in his life. He loved the way they had each other's backs with total acceptance and the way she had his back too. No expectations other than to love her. She always wanted him to be himself.

Emily wiped her face. "I need to see if Francis will take me to run some errands."

"Sure," Jason said.

"Hold on, Em," Elizabeth said as she walked over to her mattress and lifted the corner up, and pulled out some cash. "You'll need this."

"I have my card."

"Take the cash. I don't want you tracked."

"I'll pay you back," Emily stated.

"Please, you must've forgotten the part where I'm loaded now. You take it and keep it. I owe you for all you've done along the way for me. Please, sweetheart. Like I said, you're my sister. My money is your money. Go get what you need."

Emily got up and went to the bathroom.

"Is she okay?"

"She's just been feeling under the weather. I let her tell you when she's ready. It's nothing bad though so please don't worry."

"You know me too well."

"I should hope so, you asked me to marry you."

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PC Sunday Morning

His fists banged on the door relentlessly for the past five minutes. Her car was downstairs. "Come on Elizabeth, I know that you're in there. You can't stay cooped up in your studio forever. I can help you get through this. We're meant to be."

The neighbor down the hall opened the door. "Dude, can you keep the noise down."

"Have you seen the woman who lives here?" the man asked.

"She and the tots have been gone for a week. I'm not her keeper, dude."

"Here's my card. Will you call me when she comes back to the studio?"

"Sure man…if the price is right?"

"What will it take?"

"That depends on how important is to get in touch with her. She is a fine piece of ass. Even if she is pregnant."

"You watch your mouth."

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Quartermaine Mansion Sunday Morning

Edward was reading his way through the paper when he came across an obituary that caught his eye. 'How very sad. The Webbers and Hardy's used to have such influence in this town. Poor Elizabeth. That girl had lost so much this year, and now Dr. Sarah Webber had died too.' All Edward could do was shake his head as thought about it. 'Another fine family destroyed.'

"What's got you so distraught, daddy?" Tracy asked having just got back into town.

"Elizabeth Webber's sister, Sarah was murdered. Her funeral will be held Tuesday."

"Elizabeth has had a heck of a year," Tracy said thinking of her ex-stepdaughter-in-law. "She's far too nice."

Footsteps could be heard making their way to the living room of the mansion, "Spanky-pants, darlin' how are you?"

"What are you doing here you miserable reprobate?" Edward said.

"I'm just here to see the love of my life," Luke said in mock defense lifting up his hands in defense.

"Where have you been Luke?" Tracy asked.

"I've been following up some leads on the Dragon Lady. She's after Elizabeth," Luke said.

"You think they'll try to get her at the hospital?" Tracy asked concerned.

"Nope, Liz quit early last week. Got her and the kids out of dodge. She's staying below the radar too which is good."

"All that stress can't be good for her pregnancy."

"No, it can't." Luke supplied.

"Why aren't you more worried? She's carrying your grandchild?" Tracy asked.

"Nah, uh. I don't think so. She told Lucky that she was with someone the night of the blackout, and that the baby wasn't Lucky's."

"Just what in the hell is this bumbling buffoon going on about?" Edward asked.

"Here's the interesting thing that I just heard too. Jason broke it off with Sam because he's not in love with her."

"Thank God, he's come to his senses." Edward said.

"What's wrong with Sam, Daddy?"

"She's not appropriate for Jason." Edward said before continuing, "Did Jason mention who he's leaving Sam for?"

"Interesting you should ask, Edward. He left Sam for one Elizabeth Spencer."

"Really?" said Tracy. "I didn't see that one coming."

"I did," Luke stated. "Those two have a chemistry about them that's hard to ignore, which means Edward that if the baby isn't Lucky's it might very well be Jason's. You may have an heir on your hands."

Edwards face lifted up. "We don't know where she is though."

"That is true," Luke said.

"Have you heard about her sister?" Tracy asked.

"No. What about Sarah?"

"She's dead. They think that scoundrel Tom Baker did it." Edward said.

"The plot thickens," Luke said as sat back against the couch and thought, 'Just what is that old battle axe up to?'

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Nik exited the aircraft happy to back in Port Charles again but was sad that Emily wouldn't be there to greet him. 'Oh well, I'll just work on my account portfolios while I await her return.'

Nik, the nanny, and baby Spencer made their way to the car. 'I feel a headache coming on.'

'Maybe I'll invite Lucky and Lulu to dinner,' he thought as sat down in the Jaguar and waited for the Nanny and Spencer to get buckled.

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The Docks

"It's me," Ric said into his cell phone before continuing. "I think it's time we set up a meeting. I've laid the ground work, and our plans are starting to finally come together. Years of planning are starting to take shape."

Ric waited for the other person on the other line to agree to meet up with him.

"Fine. I'll see you then," Ric said as he ended the call with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Fancy seeing you here, Ric."

"Have you found anything out?" Ric asked.

"Not yet, but I'm working on it." Sam responded.

"Liz has gone underground with her kids." Ric responded.

"Well this is just great. I mean how am I supposed to confront that bitch if she isn't even around? I guess I'll go see my source." Sam said in exasperation.

Ric walked up to her slowly as backed her into the wall, "So are we on for tonight?"

"About that? Just where do you see this going?" Sam asked.

"I see this going to a room you keep at the bar." Ric answered suddenly hard.

Sam felt and almost shuddered in disgust, "We can't do this out here."

"Well come around the corner with me and I'll make it fast."

"Ugh, fine," Sam said as she followed Ric around the corner, "I can't believe you plan on fucking me behind a dumpster."

"You love it."

Sam moved her skirt up just a bit and leaned forward. Ric assumed the position from behind, as he took out his dick quickly, and moved her thong to the side. 'He's not as big as Jason, but he'll have to do for now. Maybe if I close my eyes and imagine hard enough, I'll imagine its Jason.'

Ric entered her quickly, and thrust in and out of her in a quick manner. He grabbed her hips roughly and thrust wildly into her.

"Tell me what I want to hear."

"No," said Sam.

"Yes."

"No, it's degrading."

"I'm fucking you behind a dumpster. How much more degrading can it get? Say it"

"I want you to come in me, Daddy."

"Atta girl. Ah…uhnn" Ric said while coming into his new favorite sperm receptacle.

Ric backed away and adjusted his pants.

Sam readjusted her underwear and skirt. Neither said a word to each other as they separated and went in different directions.

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He exited the elevator certain that he would catch her there.

Epiphany looked up from her work nonplussed. 'Why me,' she silently wondered.

"What can I do for you Mr. Spencer?"

"Is Elizabeth here?"

"No," Epiphany said.

"Can you tell me when she will be in?"

"Elizabeth is no longer employed here Mr. Spencer, and before you ask. No, I don't know where she went. She refused to tell me."

"I just want to make sure that she and my unborn child are alright."

"You and I both know that she told you that that baby isn't yours. We also both know what your response was."

"I was in a bad way. Plus, I know that she didn't mean it."

Sam exited the elevator hell bent on finding out where Elizabeth went.

"Yes, she did mean it, but you need to go now. You know who the father is don't you?"

Sam perked up at this. 'Interesting, wait. If Lucky isn't the father then…

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Cortona 7:00 PM

Emily sat in the bathroom waiting on the news that may change her life.

Just outside the door Elizabeth and Jason were sitting the children down to tell them the news.

Liz sat in a chair, while the children shared the love seat.

"We have something we want to tell you, and we hope that you'll find this to be a good thing like we do," Elizabeth said.

"Cameron, Aurora, I asked your mommy, and your aunt, Aurora to marry me yesterday?"

"You did?" asked Aurora.

Jason shook his head yes, "And she said yes."

"Yay," said Aurora happily.

Cameron looked deep in thought.

"Are you okay, Cameron?"

"Yeah, I just have one question?"

"What's that buddy?" Jason asked.

"Are you going to pwomise to be nice to my mommy? Lucky liked to yell and be bossy."

"I'm not saying that your mom and I will not disagree from time to time, but I will tell you this there's no woman that I love more than her, and I promise you Cameron, and you Aurora, that I will treat her and you both with the love and compassion that you deserve."

Cameron thought about his answer for a moment, tilting his head back and tapping his index finger on his face, "Okay…you have my pah-mission to marry mommy."

"Thanks buddy, I will do my best not to let you down. There's two more things.

"Okay, what are they?" asked a curious Aurora.

"How would you two feel about me adopting you? That means that I legally get to love you like a parent?"

"Can I call you daddy?" asked Cameron lifting his eyebrows in curiosity.

"If that's what you want nothing would make me happier," Jason said in reply.

"Can I still call you uncle?" Aurora asked shyly.

"You sure can. You can call me Jason or Uncle Jason, whatever you feel comfortable with. I love you both either way."

Aurora thought about it for a moment, being the pensive girl that she was. Finally, she gave him an enigmatic smile and leapt off the couch and into Jason's arms. "I love you too, Uncle Jason."

"Me too, Jason! I love you too!" Cameron said and with that Cameron jumped into Jason's arms. Elizabeth wiped the tears away from her face.

Emily came out with sobering smile on her face and approached Elizabeth from behind in a hug. Liz tilted her head to the side to take in her best friend's face.

"You alright, Em?"

"Yeah."

"Hey kiddos, why don't you grab your jammies and go get ready for bed. Bring me your dirty clothes when you're finished getting dressed."

Jason got up and eyed his sister. "Hey are you okay, Emily."

"Yeah, I just took a home pregnancy test."

"And?" Jason asked and waited.

Emily smiled, "Yes," as happy tears filled her eyes.

"This is terrific news Emily," Elizabeth said standing up and gathering Emily into a hug.

Jason came up behind Elizabeth and enveloped both ladies into his arms. 'Today is a great day,' Jason thought.


	19. Chapter 19

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

 **I apologize for it taking so long to post an additional chapter this week. I generally like to post at least one a week, may be two, but I was busy with work. Thanks for your patience. Enjoy! :)**

19.) The Walls Come Down, and 'Is Okay?'

Cortona, Italy Monday.

Construction day had begun or rather destruction day had begun. Nino, the contractor and the other construction workers had started right on schedule, singing while they worked to help them pass the time.

Jason, Cameron, and Francis were outside walking the grounds. Francis had hired a security company to come and build up the fence line, provide guards, and set up video surveillance outside the villa.

Emily and Aurora were sitting at a plastic table that was set up out back. They were having a small tea party, before the hottest part of the day would make that impossible.

And Elizabeth was in the kitchen supervising from a small distance the taking down of the wall. She had an artist's eye and wanted to be involved but in her condition, she would just have to settle for sitting back and watching for now. Dressed in a pair of maternity overhauls and a cute light blue V-neck t-shirt, with her hair held back by a scarf, she was doing her best to channel her inner "Rosie the Riveter." She bit away at her lip, nervously hoping the destruction of the wall between the kitchen and living room wouldn't take too long. Elizabeth had no problem imagining the space open and wider so that her home would be warmer and more inviting. With those images in mind a small smile came to her face.

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"I like your ideas so far, Francis."

"Thanks," Francis replied.

"Listen, I'm going to oversee the security setup the rest of the day. I want you to go visit your cousin in Florence, and I have a small favor to ask?"

"Sure, what is it?" Francis asked.

"Would mind taking Emily with you? This is a brand new disposable cell. Throw it away after she calls Cassadine. You can take my vehicle. It's gassed up."

"Sure, and thanks for letting me go see my cousin too," Francis said.

"Francis, I'm the one that owes you. You've been doing me the favor by taking care of Elizabeth and our children, and now Em too. I think she needs to get out for a bit. Here's some money is she finds something nice. She misses Cassadine and she's taken Alan's death very hard. Maybe if she sees something nice and is able to get it she'll feel just a tiny bit better. The phone call needs to be under 2 minutes, and she'll have to be vague. She isn't to tell him our location."

"Gotcha," Francis said as he turned to tell the men that were setting up security on the fence line that Jason was in charge and not to be questioned. They all nodded their head in understanding.

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Emily and Aurora were delicately drinking water from their tea cups and discussing their love for all things related to stuffed animals. Jason carrying Cameron, slowly made his way around the corner and watched his sister and Aurora interact. He was still curious about Aurora and was desperate to find a way to make sure she was included. Until now he'd really only dealt with little boys. Kristina was not at Sonny's all the time so it was hit or miss. He could hear Em and Aurora, but they hadn't seen him yet. He turned to Cameron and put a finger to his lips.

Aurora let out a soft giggle.

"You think that's funny don't you?" Em asked.

Aurora shook her head, "That sure is Miss Emily."

Emily let out a laugh, and then looked at Aurora who suddenly got quiet.

"Miss Emily, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure sweet girl, anything. What's on your mind?"

"Well Uncle Jason's gonna marry my Aunt Lizzie. What'll that make you and me? I know that you'll be Cameron's Aunt like you are now and the new baby's too, but what will I be?"

"Would you like to call me Aunt Emily, like Cameron?"

Aurora shook her head 'yes.'

"Would you like to know a secret kiddo?" asked Em.

"Sure, I love secrets and I'm weal good at keeping them too."

"I know you are. I'm like you, Aurora. I was adopted."

"You were 'dopted too?" Aurora looked at Em with wonder, opening her big brown doe eyes.

"My mommy went to heaven like your mommy did. Both of them got the same kind of cancer."

"They did?"

"Yeah, kiddo. They did."

"Aunt Lizzie says my mommy and daddy can see me. Do you think that's true?"

"I sure do Button. Your Aunt Lizzie is pretty smart. Plus, I know that my mommy can see me, so if my mommy can see me, then your mommy and daddy can see you," Emily said patting the girl's back reassuringly, "Is there anything else bothering you kiddo?"

"I don't know. Sometimes…sometimes I feel like I don't fit in. Like I'm extera."

"Extera? Oh you mean, extra."

Aurora shook her head 'Yes,'

"Why do you feel that way?"

"Well, Cameron and the baby, have their mommy, and a new daddy, and I don't."

"Oh, I see. Hmm. Feeling like an outsider is no fun," Emily paused for a moment before continuing, "Aurora, when you think of your Aunt Lizzie, do you think of her as an aunt or as a mommy?" Emily asked.

Jason stood off to the side to wanting to hear this so he knew how he and Elizabeth could address this later.

"I think of my Aunt Lizzie, like a mommy, but she already has her babies."

Emily smiled, "Aurora, would you like to know a secret."

"Anudder one?"

"Yes, another one."

"Your Aunt Lizzie loves you like you're her daughter already. She loves you the same as Cameron and baby Jacob. She already told me, and I'm her best friend."

"She told you that?" Aurora asked in awe.

"She sure did. She just didn't want make you call her Mommy if you didn't want to. Calling her by that name has to be your decision. Aunt Lizzie, is very sad that your daddy went to heaven and your mommy too, but she's very happy that they left you in her care. I know that she loves you to the moon and back."

"I love her too! I just thought maybe she didn't want me. I've been hard to take care of wif my boo boos," Aurora explained.

"Aurora, your Aunt Lizzie is a talented nurse. Taking care of people is what she does, and she's a great at it too. She's very kind and smart, and I know for a fact that there's no one that she'd rather take care of than you, Cameron, the new baby, and Uncle Jason."

"What about you? Does she like to take of you too?"

"Absolutely. We take care of each other," Em stated.

Aurora walked over to Emily, and lightly touched her face. "I weally love you, Aunt Em."

"I really love you too, little Button."

Jason smiled, and walked further into the line of site. "What are you two beautiful ladies doing?"

"We're having a tea party. Want to have some too?" Aurora asked.

"We don't drink tea, Aurora! We're men. We gots work to do. Right, Jason?" Cameron asked.

"Right little, buddy. Maybe tonight Aurora and I could have a drink of tea before bed, and maybe you'll join us Cameron."

"Weally? You'd have tea with me, Uncle Jason?" Aurora asked.

"Sure, after a hard day of working I could use some tea with my favorite girl and my little buddy. It's the best way to wind down at the end of the day."

"I'm your favorite girl?" Asked Aurora in wonder.

"You sure are! Just like Cameron is my favorite little buddy. I love you both," Jason stated.

"Wow." Said Aurora as she smiled brightly. Jason smiled back down at her.

"Em, can I speak to you for just a moment?" Jason asked setting Cameron down to sit with Aurora for a minute.

"Yeah, Jase. What's up?" Emily asked, getting up from the tea party.

"How are you feeling today?"

"I'm not queasy today, if that's what you're asking," Emily replied.

"Francis is going to take you to Florence, if that's alright. He's visiting a cousin for the afternoon and I thought you might like to get out and see some sights. He has a disposable cell for you. You can't talk on it for no more than 2 minutes and you can't tell Nik exactly where you are because of Helena."

"Gotcha, vague. I get it," Emily stated nonplussed, but accepting of the situation. With a baby on the way, she wasn't willing to take any chances, Nik or not. Tom Baker was a threat, and so was Helena.

"I gave Francis some money so if you see something you'd like for you or the little one, you just pick it up."

"I feel so useless. I have money you know."

"I don't care about the money. You're my sister. Nothing is too good for you or Elizabeth. I can't think of any other women I would rather spend my money on with the possible exception of grandmother and since she isn't here... Allow me to dote on you. Get whatever you want to make you feel comfortable. I just want to see you happy. Have fun. Get out for a bit. Alan wouldn't want you moping around when you have exciting news of your own."

"You're right," Emily said as she gave her brother a smile and a kiss on her cheek, "You're a wonderful brother, Jason. My hero."

"Back at you, Em. Never was I more proud and impressed by you, than during the hostage crisis. It took real courage to stand up to Craig the way that you did, on top of making the decisions you had to make."

"I was out of control," Emily stated.

"The whole situation was out of control, and you'd had a very rough evening to say the least. You're going to be an amazing doctor. You've really got what it takes."

"I couldn't have done it without Patrick, Elizabeth, or even Carly for that matter. Liz really saved my ass that night. If she hadn't have begged Craig to let her help, Robin would have bled out. It taught me valuable lesson about underestimating the nursing staff, or at the very least Elizabeth. It's like there's nothing she can't learn. She's so calm under pressure…It means so much that you believe in me, though and her too… She knew I could finish the surgery. It's that kind of faith that helped get me through it."

"Well Elizabeth has had a lot of practice on yours truly. Em, you have the brain and compassion that it takes to be a great doctor. Now you just need to take some time for yourself today," Jason said.

"Thanks for getting me out of the house. I really need and appreciate it."

"Of course. What are big brothers for?" Jason said.

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Back in Liz's kitchen…

Nino and the contractors were taking down the wall boulder by boulder. The walls had been constructed three hundred years prior, so it was interesting to see what lay beyond the outer layer of the wall. Zbignew, carefully removed a boulder, but the room started to vibrate with unsteadiness as a means of revolt, against what the construction crew.

"Nino," Elizabeth said with concern.

Nino didn't hear her at first as he was giving instructions to the men. At that moment, the young blonde, Pawel removed another boulder from the same general location that Zbignew had and with that started an unstable tremble as the rocks shifted around. Elizabeth and the four man crew made for a hasty retreat out the back door.

All of the sudden, Emily and Jason who were outside looked over as a very pregnant Elizabeth did her best to lightly jog out the door followed by four man crew.

"Ahhhhh," Elizabeth yelled in terror as the men came out behind her doing their best to stay calm from all the chaos taking place in the kitchen. In three strides Jason was lifting Elizabeth right out of the way as plume of dust exited the ancient villa.

"Are you alright?" Jason asked trying his best not to laugh. In all honesty, it was one of the funniest, if not the cutest thing he'd ever witnessed Elizabeth do. Watching her try to run with their baby in the front. If it wasn't so dangerous, he might've broken down in laughter.

"I'm fine. Thank you," Elizabeth said taking a breath.

Elizabeth looked over at Nino who was wiping away the sweat and dust from his brow with an old rag while staring at the Villa in disbelief, along with the three other construction workers.

"Babe, do you mind setting me down for just a moment," Elizabeth asked.

"Sure," Jason said. Curious as to what Elizabeth would do.

Elizabeth slowly walked up to Nino, "Nino, I tried to get your attention to stop."

Nino, nonchalantly looked at Elizabeth, "Is okay?"

Elizabeth put a hand to her head in disbelief. "Is okay? No, it's not okay. We could've all been killed, Nino."

"Is okay," Nino said again and walked forward followed by his construction workers, leaving Elizabeth behind.

Elizabeth brought her petite fists down to her side, and shrieked. "Is Okay?" Elizabeth mocked shaking her head at Nino's nonchalance.

"I don't believe I've ever seen her like this, Jase." Emily said as she started to giggle.

"I don't think I have either, but she sure is adorable. Pouting like that with her big belly. How can anyone not love her?"

"I'm not sure. I hope I'm that cute when I'm that far along."

A moment later Pawel came out, "Elizabetta, we've cleared a path for you. It's not so bad."

He carefully took her hand to guide her through. Jason didn't trust the young man's navigational skills. "Em, will you watch the kids for just a moment."

"Sure."

Jason walked over to Elizabeth and picked her up, "I've got her. You lead the way."

As they walked back they noticed that the damage wasn't so bad.

Elizabeth looked over at Nino, Zbignew, Pawel, and Jerzy and all four were chuckling. The wall that they had assumed would take all day to come down, was down in a matter of about 20 minutes. Seeing them laugh Elizabeth couldn't keep the giggles in any longer.

Elizabeth looked up at Jason, despite the destruction and said, "Is Okay!"

Jason just laughed. This had to be the most unusual construction job he'd ever seen. Jason lifted Elizabeth back up, and took her outside so that she'd be safe.

"Okay, so let's just let them clear the rubble," Jason said and then kissed her forehead and walked her right back outside.

"Okay, so this baby has make an exit soon so I can become useful again."

"Hey, you're always useful. As far as I'm concerned, especially right now."

"You're just saying that so you can seduce me later," Elizabeth whispered.

"No, I'm not. Just out of curiosity, is it working?" Jason asked.

"Of course, it's working, I'm only a woman Jason. I can only take so much of your hotness," Elizabeth said flirting back as they came to stand in front of Emily and the kids again.

Francis came around the corner, "Emily, I'm all set to go. Are you ready?

"I sure am," Emily said grabbing her purse in case she needed her fake I.D. and Passport that Jason had made for her.

"Where are you two going?" Elizabeth asked with a smile.

"Francis is taking me to Florence for the day."

"Ooh la la," said Elizabeth, "Lucky girl! Have fun, Em. Do you need cash?"

"I took care of it," Jason said from behind her, 'Yep, I chose the right woman.' Never had he'd seen a woman who cared more about others than she did herself the way that Elizabeth did.

"Have fun you two," Elizabeth said, "I'm happy to see her getting out."

Elizabeth turned around to find Jason with an enigmatic smile.

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

Jason slowly walked up to Elizabeth as the children watched. I wanted to give this to you when I asked you before, but I had left it behind in my luggage. Jason pulled a small box out from his back pocket. He slowly opened the box, to reveal a beautiful antique diamond ring surrounded by four rubies.

Elizabeth was overcome with emotion, "Oh Jason, it's beautiful. Thank you so much!"

"May I put it on you?"

"Absolutely," Elizabeth said teary-eyed.

"How mantic," Aurora said in her voice.

"You mean how romantic, Aurora."

"That's what I said Aunt Lizzie, it's mantic," Aurora stated, as she swayed back and forth, "I hope someday someone puposes to me."

"Girls?" Cameron said as he slapped his hand to his forehead in a dramatic fashion.

"You mean, proposes," Elizabeth corrected gently.

"I don't think so young lady. You won't be allowed to date until you're at least 30," Jason said.

"I'll be so old then, Uncle Jason."

"All the princes will have to be cleared with Cameron and me, Little Princess."

"Aww, shucks," said Aurora as she swung her arm and snapped her fingers.

Elizabeth grabbed Jason's hand and looked at him. "You are the most wonderful man and I still can't believe you're here. I guess dreams really can come true."

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After Nino and the contractors cleared the villa of debris, they left for the remainder of the day. They had to pick up supplies to finish the stuccoing of the wall between the kitchen and living room area.

The kids were down for their nap, having just finished lunch. She had just received a text from Anna that her delivery was about to be made.

"Jason, Anna sent me a text. The K-9 unit will be arriving shortly."

"Are you sure about this many dogs?" Jason asked.

"I am. I know it may seem excessive, but I'm dealing with extreme people and we're extremely wealthy. I want the kids to feel protected, and I have faith in their abilities."

"I'm not questioning the logic. It's just that a German shepherd is a lot of animal, and you're kind of a tiny woman," Jason said.

"Trust me when I say that I feel anything but tiny."

"You know what I mean," Jason said smirking bringing his hand down to her rounded belly.

"I do. You have your security measures and I have mine," Liz said confidently.

As they looked over to the front gate a van pulled in.

A man jumped out dressed in military garb, "Are you Imogene Cerio?"

"I am."

"I'm Clause Krautz. I have your order. We even managed to get the last one you added."

"Excellent," Elizabeth said as the dogs were led out one by one.

"Did you read and study the commands we sent you?"

Elizabeth shook her head yes, "I did."

"You will need to give strict instructions to the children on how to properly manage their K-9. They've been trained using their names. Trust me when I say that they will be loyal to your family as if you were a part of their pack, but they are lethal to anyone who isn't in the pack and rushes into your home, or your space. They were raised and trained around children, but you'll will need to ease your kids into getting to know them. Here's the blankets that you sent to us a few weeks ago. You will need to do the same thing when your baby is born so they get used to the smell of the new pup, so to speak. They're used to your scent. We trained them in English. All of the K-9's are from the same litter, the only thing the newer acquisition needs is to get used to is his name, since you purchased him this week."

The man pulled out a clipboard, "Just sign here, here and here," while pointing to the signature lines that he indicated.

Liz signed on the lines and the trainer got the dogs out and lined them up one by one.

Jason was confused, instead of four there were five.

"Did you buy an extra one, you said you bought four."

"I did buy four, but I handed a note to Anna the other day and she bought the extra one per my instructions."

"How long have you been planning this?"

Liz smirked, "I made arrangements when Helena left me a message indicating that she was interested in getting her hands on me and our baby. It was just after Christmas. I told you, Jason. I'd been planning."

"Hmm…" was all Jason said as took in everything she said. 'She was always so brave, scared but brave anyway. Just a reminder that my Elizabeth is way more complex than I've given her credit for.'

"All of them have collars except the newest addition. You indicated you wanted to do that one separately."

"I did, thank you," Liz said.

"I will set their crates up in the cellar as you instructed, Madame."

"That'll be fine thank you. Let me show you where to take them."

Liz guided the man in and down the stairs. She came right back up, but Jason walked down and kept an eye on him.

"They're yours to command," Mr Krautz said handing Elizabeth a set of whistles. Jason walked out behind the trainer.

She used her whistle and all the K-9's came forward. She put her hand out and yelled stop, and they obeyed. She gave them several commands including to go potty, and they listened. Luckily, they were still technically pups, big pups so they could all grow with the children. Integration was important.

"We're good to go. It was good doing business with you Mr. Krautz."

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Cerio. Call us if any issues should arise. Don't forget to watch the video I left for you with the crates. It shows what all your dogs are truly capable of."

"Thank you, again. Mr. Krautz," Liz said as he got into his van. A minute later he left.

Liz pointed to each one, "Apollo, Eos, Athena and Ares, are all Sable German Shepherds. Apollo belongs to Cameron and Eos belongs to Aurora. Athena, is my girl, and Ares, our warrior will belong to baby Jacob."

"This other one isn't Sable? Why the extra one and why is he different?" Jason asked perplexed.

"Oh him, well he belongs to my future husband," Elizabeth said as she smiled at Jason's surprised expression, "Would you like to know his name?"

"You got me a dog?" Jason asked.

"You see, my future husband, loves black, and has a thing for maps. So in keeping with the theme of Mythological names here, I thought that we'd get you black German shepherd, and his name is Atlas after the Greek Titan who waged war for 10 years against Zeus. A Titan with the weight of the world on his shoulders, much like the man that I'm going to marry."

"I like it," Jason said.

"You don't have to carry this weight alone."

Jason gave her a skeptical look.

Before Elizabeth went onto say, "Think of it this way. You'll never have to question his loyalty to you. You can talk to him, and he won't betray your confidence, but most importantly he'll protect you when I can't, Jason. I know the dangers of your job and I accept them. I just want someone to have your back, and he will provide that to you. If you can't take him with you at least he'll be an added layer of protection at home."

"That is perhaps the most thoughtful gift I've ever been given, and I really love the name," Jason said while thinking, 'How do I top that? She even remembered my love for geography and traveling and found a way to incorporate it into the family theme. My clever Elizabeth.'

"I want to be your companion in every way possible, but sometimes humans fail, in ways that animals don't. I love you, Jason, and I want you to come home safely to us at night. Sometimes that may be impossible, but I figure how could extra protection for you be a bad thing?" Elizabeth said while wrapping her arms around his neck, and pulling Jason in for a kiss.

"You're the most wonderful woman. How is it that I deserve you?"

"I feel the same way about you…You know if we crate the dogs now, we have about an hour before the kids wake up and we could take this opportunity to spend some quality time together," Elizabeth said suggestively.

"That's the best idea you've had all day and you've had several," Jason said as he and Elizabeth made their way toward the house.

"Athena, Eos, Apollo, Ares, and Atlas, come on in. Go to your crates and stay," Elizabeth said authoritatively.

All the dogs walked inside and headed directly to the cellar knowing exactly where their crates were. We'll just shut the cellar door. That way they can roam around a bit. We'll let them out one at a time so they can get acclimated to their surroundings and get to know us.

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Florence, Italy: Monday Afternoon.

Emily made a phone call to Nik, but only got his machine.

"Hey babe, it's me. Listen, I'm just checking in. I was hoping to catch up with you. I will try you again in a few days. Just know that I'm safe and well. I have some news that I want to share with you. I miss you so much. Stay safe, Nik," Emily said as she ended the call.

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The door to their room was locked to keep away the impressionable young minds that lingered on the other side, that were thankfully still in the land of nod.

On the bed sat Jason, leaned back against the headboard. On top of him sat his very pregnant fiancé who was slowly riding him away to ecstasy. Elizabeth was in the midst of throwing her head back, while Jason devoured her full breasts, and slowly pumped upward into her tight wet channel.

"Mmmm…You fuck me so good, E-liz-a-beth," Jason said as he gripped her hips and slid her hands down to grab her ass spreading her cheeks in his grip slowly.

"Ahhh..Y..You like me now, wait until after the baby c…comes. I'm going to fuck you so many different ways the Kamasutra may need to put out an additional volume," Elizabeth said.

"Is that so?" Jason said as he continued to pump.

"Y-Yeah," Elizabeth said as she continued to ride Jason's rigid cock.

Jason brought his arms up behind and gripped her shoulders from behind allowing her to lean back as she continued to ride him. He kissed his way down her chest, as surged upward deliberately swiveling his hips. He kissed his way down her belly, "You are so per-fect. Mmmmm…Have..Have you gone yet?"

"Y-Yes, twice!" Elizabeth exclaimed but not overly loud.

"Are you close again? I'm about go…," Jason took the opportunity to stroke her clit helping her over the cliff.

"Jason….Ooh..oh.." Elizabeth said biting her lip.

"Mmm..ungh…E-liz-a-beth," Jason said spent and sated.

"And to think, I've willingly deprived myself of you for years. What a fool," Elizabeth said as she leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You're not the only one. I think we finally got our timing right though. Maybe now we can appreciate it all the more," Jason said looking down at her as her face was snuggled protectively his the crook of his neck.

"Jason, I love you so much. When you're not around it hurts to breathe. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, actually it does, because no matter who I was with or what I was doing over the years, every time that I saw you, my breath was stolen away. You are the only woman who's ever made me nervous, and not in a bad way. You are the only woman who I ever had the ability to give the world to, who wouldn't accept it, based on principals. You have a beautiful way of looking at the world too. I've said it before in the past, and meant it, but you're so smart, creative, and you have a way of bringing achievable and worthy dreams into my life. You make me want to be better, without actually demanding it."

Elizabeth lifted her head up, and looked him in the eye. "Jason, I don't want you to change, but if I can bring some happiness to you then I'm glad you're choosing to be with me," Elizabeth said bring her right hand up to rest on his heart. "You've always had a beautiful heart. You take care of those around without thinking. You are infinitely more than the sum of your work experience. You're my inspiration, Jason… to dream big. You give me courage, when I doubt myself. I think of all the things you do, without thinking and it gives me courage to move forward. Even when you're not with me."

And there it was their hearts laid bare.

Jason, felt himself stir back to life, still buried deep inside of her.

Elizabeth felt him twitch as she lustfully gazed upon him, "Round two?" she queried as she arched an eyebrow.

Jason brought her down to the bed never detaching himself from her depths and started a nice rhythm.

"It's a good thing you're already pregnant," Jason said.

"Well we have enough money in the bank between the two of us that we can have as many as we like."

"True. I'll never get tired of loving you," Jason said as he brought his lips down to hers.

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Port Charles- Monday Morning

"Any news from Jason?" asked Carly as she walked into Sonny's office.

"Shut the door, Carly."

Carly shut the door behind her.

"I spoke with him briefly over the weekend. He knows about Alcazar now. And before you ask, no, we had no hand in his demise."

"Hey, you'll brook no argument from me. He nearly got all of us killed in the Hostage Crisis."

"Tell me about it."

"So I take it that Jason has found her?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, he found her. She's had it rough. Rougher than you can imagine."

"How's that?" Carly asked.

"Did you hear about her sister?"

"No, I forgot she had one," Carly stated.

"Yeah, she was raped and murdered last week. Police think it may be Tom Baker. Jason's not so sure, so we're looking into it."

"Jeez. I know they thought her parents were killed in Africa. Jason had been watching her, when she received a phone call stating that they thought her parents had been gunned down."

"Yeah, well it was confirmed last week that they were killed in the Congo, by Helena's Mercenaries."

"That's awful. I know that I don't get along with her, and most of that is my fault, but it's amazing that she's still standing. You can't help but admire it. Maybe when she comes back she and I can hash it out. I owe it to Jason to at least try. Even if it kills me."

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"I'm going to start the process for empaneling a grand jury into the death of Lorenzo Alcazar," Ric stated.

"That's great, Ric, but don't you need evidence first. I mean we don't even have the preliminary autopsy report from the coroner," Mac countered.

"Oh come on, it's obvious that Jason Morgan was behind this," Ric argued back.

"While I don't disagree with the cleanliness of the hit being Morgan-esque, we have nothing tying him to this. Hell, we don't even know if he was around during the time of the hit."

"Well, we'll find something. We need to tap his lines. I'll apply for a warrant on that," Ric said while thinking, 'You're going down Morgan. Elizabeth will be mine.'


	20. Chapter 20

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

20.) Interesting Information

Tuesday, Cortona

Emily and Francis had returned the evening prior around 8:00 PM. Getting out had helped Emily to deal with her dad's death. Seeing life all around her had a way reminding her that she could go on, and now she had a life inside of her, so she was going to have to be more in-tune with her needs.

Francis had enjoyed the afternoon meeting with his cousin Vinny. It was both good to see his family and Vinny provided some interesting information regarding a competing interest that may be try to make a move in Port Charles in the future. Vinny was also naturally charmed why the beauty that was Francis' good friend Emily.

To say that Francis and Emily were surprised by the five large German Shepherds that were present when they arrived back at Il Mio Vento would've been an understatement. However, the real surprise was how well behaved they were. Francis felt that Elizabeth had indeed made a wise investment.

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Elizabeth was up with the Sun eager to let the dogs out for their morning potty and run around the property. The children had been so excited the afternoon prior when they each received their own trained puppy. Granted the dogs were nearly grown, but having them grow with the family was important.

 _Flashback: Monday Afternoon Cortona._

 _The pitter-patter of little feet could be heard just outside their bedroom door. Thankfully, they were already showered and dressed from their previous exertion. Jason and Elizabeth emerged from the bedroom utterly sated and completely preoccupied with each other._

 _"_ _Mommy, Aurora and I wanna go outside and pway. Can we?"_

 _"_ _Actually, Cam there's something I want to show you and Aurora. When she comes out of the bathroom we'll make our way downstairs. Okay."_

 _Jason bent down and picked up, Cameron. "Hey did my little buddy sleep alright?"_

 _"_ _I sure did. Don't tell Aurora, but she wiggles a lot," Cameron said whispering his big secret._

 _Jason just started laughing, "Maybe she's just trying to get comfortable."_

 _"_ _I dunno, but she sure wiggles."_

 _Elizabeth walked up to the door of the bathroom, "Aurora, sweetie are you okay?"_

 _"_ _Yes, Aunt Lizzie," Aurora said through the door, "I just had a bad dweam bout the truck again."_

 _"_ _Can you open the door sweetheart? I have something that might cheer you up," Elizabeth said._

 _Aurora opened the door, and quietly exited the bathroom. Tears stained her precious little face._

 _Liz leaned down and welcomed Aurora into her waiting arms, "Sweetie next time, come and get me. You never have to sit around and cry by yourself. If it helps, I'll cry with you."_

 _"_ _Okay," Aurora said drying her tears._

 _"_ _Would you like to see your surprise?" Liz asked._

 _"_ _Yes, Aunt Lizzie," Aurora said beaming._

 _"_ _Well come on dolly, no more tears," Elizabeth said._

 _Jason just observed for now. Elizabeth had a magic touch. Aurora really responded to her, which was great because the little girl needed her, and he had a feeling that Elizabeth needed Aurora too._

 _The family made their way downstairs, Jason carrying Cameron down. As they came down to the last step Jason set Cameron down but continued to hold his hand. He also grabbed Aurora's hand as she made it down the last step. She looked up and smiled, and Jason looked down at her and smiled._

 _"_ _Okay, you two! Close your eyes and don't make any loud noises."_

 _"_ _Okay," both children said in unison._

 _Liz walked down the cellar steps and quietly called for Eos and Apollo._

 _Both dogs quietly walked up and sat waiting for their commands._

 _"_ _Okay you two you can open your eyes now," Liz said as the children did what she had instructed them to do._

 _"_ _Wow," said Aurora, "Puppy dogs! Yay."_

 _"_ _Eos. Come," Elizabeth said and the German shepherd came forward._

 _"_ _Aurora this is Eos. Can you say that?"_

 _"_ _Eos," Aurora repeated perfectly._

 _"_ _Aurora, you and Eos have the same name just in different cultures. Aurora means goddess of the Dawn in Roman mythology, and Eos means goddess of the Dawn in Greek mythology."_

 _"_ _So we both mean, dawn?" Aurora questioned._

 _"_ _Yes!" Elizabeth exclaimed._

 _"_ _Apollo, come," Elizabeth called out to Apollo and the dog came forward, "Cameron this is your dog, Apollo."_

 _Cameron slowly approached the dog, but held his hand out for the dog to smell. The dog already familiar with Cameron's scent sniffed at him and gave the boys hand a lick._

 _Aurora mimicked her cousin, and Eos responded the same way, "This is so cool."_

 _"_ _These are your dogs. They are trained to protect you, and you are going to work with them daily so they are used to you. Do you both understand?"_

 _"_ _Yes, Mommy!" Cameron said._

 _"_ _Yes, Aunt Lizzie." Aurora said._

 _"_ _Good. Let's take them outside and I'll teach you their commands. Follow me," Elizabeth said and everyone including the dogs did as instructed._

 _End of Flashback_

Elizabeth opened the cellar door and the dogs came up as they were called, stopping when instructed. Elizabeth maneuvered herself to the door and gave the command for the dogs to go take care of their business. Liz had reviewed their training demo and had decided that she would invest in not only a playground for the kids, but one for the pups to keep them agile. She needed them vigilant and in shape.

From the window Jason observed her. There was something so special about Elizabeth. It wasn't just her innate beauty, although it often stole his breath. It was just the way she interacted with others. Right now she was tending to the dogs. She was watching how they moved and looking for ways to improve it. Thinking, Elizabeth was always thinking, and biting that gorgeous lower lip while she did it too!

She was throwing a few of the balls and watching them go after it one at a time; making sure only the dog named was going after the ball. It was clear that she would be taking the dangers they faced more seriously than any significant other he'd been previously involved with.

After a few minutes, Elizabeth lined the dogs back up and brought them into the house. Luckily, each dog had their own water wells and pre-programmable dog feeders. That way it wouldn't become a daily routine of having to refill, but more like a weekly occurrence. She would be busy with the new baby and the kids, but taking care of the dogs that would be taking care her family would be a top priority, and that meant proper nourishment. She would get the kids to help her of course, because having them help would teach them responsibility, but Elizabeth would see to their needs as was her duty.

It was Tuesday, and the construction workers were coming back to stucco the walls and start upgrading the fixtures. After the light fixtures were updated, the downstairs bathroom would be getting an overhaul, followed by the upstairs bathroom.

In the afternoon, the midwife, Gina Costellano was supposed to show up, take Elizabeth's measurements, review her medical chart and walk Liz and Jason through an at home water birth. Emily, agreed to be checked too while the midwife would be there in an effort to save time and keep anonymity.

After the dogs were stowed away in the cellar, Elizabeth set about making breakfast. She wasn't a magnificent chef, but she could make the basics. She wanted everyone up and fed before the construction workers appeared and started stuccoing the nearby wall.

As she finished whisking the eggs, her phone rang. It was Anna. "Hello," Elizabeth said in a British accent.

"Hello dearest, I see that the packages arrived yesterday. Are they to your liking?"

"They are. I was thinking of purchasing some training equipment for them so they could maintain their training."

"That's an excellent, idea. I can put you in touch with someone."

"That would be wonderful. Anything else to report?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well you know who, has reemerged in the town from whence you came. Claiming he wants to help you. Also, the small infestation that you suggested be in casket is all set to go. The funeral will be today so we should get some interesting information out of the deal."

"That's good to know," Elizabeth stated. "Do you have any info pertaining to the Acting D.A. of that wonderful town?"

"Well, we know he's into shady dealings, but he's not really on our radar why?" Anna asked.

"I don't know. Just a feeling. I think he's going to make trouble. He seldom disappoints in that arena."

"I'll keep an ear out," Anna said.

"Thanks, darling." Elizabeth said.

"You're welcome dearest." Anna replied before hanging up.

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Breakfast went off without a hitch, and the now the kids were getting dressed upstairs.

"So are you nervous about the midwife," Jason asked.

"Not really," Elizabeth replied, "I've had a long time to think about going in this direction."

"I'm just worried that something could go wrong," Jason said.

"You'd be a fool not too, but women have been giving birth since the beginning of time, and if they can do it in a cave or in their house then so can I. Also, water birthing is supposed to be a very relaxing experience meant to be calming both for the baby and mother, and it will keep my name off the grid, and our baby's. That's what's most important to me Jason."

"If you're sure about this then I will, of course, back you," Jason said while rubbing his hands along her back and abdomen.

"You're so good to me. I know you're worried. She's supposed to be bringing an ultrasound machine with her, so we should get to see how our little peanut is doing in there," Elizabeth said leaning into him.

"Why wouldn't I be good to you? You're everything I've ever wanted. I can't wait to see him."

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Port Charles- Tuesday 4:00 AM

He'd come to her in the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness, as was the nature of their relationship. Right now he was behind her sliding his rigid length in and out of her with relative ease. He had a strong hold on her hips as he rode her.

"Whose fucking you little slut?" Ric said, as his hands moved forward and clutched her dangling breasts.

"Daddy."

"You like it when daddy fucks you don't you, pretty whore?"

"Mmmm…Y-yes." Sam said as Ric started to pick up speed.

"Still, thinking about Jason while you fuck me?" Ric said as watched his cock disappear into Sam's body.

"Are you still thinking about Elizabeth?" Sam countered.

Ric started to swivel his hips as the end was near for him. Sam bucked in return and together they came.

"Do you have any information for me, Samantha?"

"Actually, I do. What do you know about the father Elizabeth's unborn child?" Sam questioned.

"Lucky…He's a fuck up? Why?"

"Lucky isn't the father, Ric…Jason is. I heard Nurse Johnson and Lucky discussing it earlier. Though Lucky doesn't believe it."

"Jason's the father of Elizabeth's baby? Well, now it's starting to make sense. Good work, Samantha."

"I'm not sure how this is going to help me get Jason back?" Sam replied.

"Now I just need to find Elizabeth, and convince her that I'm the only man worthy of her. Jason will never love her like I do."

"Oh, please. You think the town Saint is going to want you when she can have Jason. Weren't they almost an item years ago? I seem to remember Carly warning me about her."

"Jason's in love with her. For obvious reasons. He's just not good enough for her. Hardly anyone is, with possible exception of myself."

"What's that supposed to mean, Ric? What do you mean by the statement 'For obvious reasons? I'm more woman than she'll ever be.' She's not even tough."

"She's tougher than you think, Samantha, and what I mean by that statement is that Elizabeth is all things ethereal in her beauty. You can't just find her type of beauty anywhere. It literally radiates from her. Emily's very similar in that vein of beauty too. As for a woman like you, you're a dime a dozen Sam. You'll spread your legs for anything, as you've proven here yet again tonight."

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Port Charles 8:00 AM – Tuesday

"What could you possibly want? You said you had important information for me," said the mysterious woman.

"I needed to meet up with you to discuss our plans regarding the fate of Elizabeth. I've become aware some information that may alter things as we know them."

"Do you know where my Dear Elizabeth is hiding, she seems to have completely disappeared."

"No, but you may be interested to know about the father of her unborn child."

"Yes, well…while Lucky is a complete imbecile, it will be good to get access to Luke's grandchild."

"That's just it. The baby isn't Lucky's," said Ric in reply.

"What do you mean the baby isn't Lucky's? Well if not Lucky's then whose the father?"

"What if I were to tell you that Jason Morgan is about to become a father… again… as in the second time and he doesn't even know about it yet. Of course, Elizabeth doesn't know about Jason being Cameron's father either."

"Oh this is delicious. So she and the hoodlum finally came together. There is something appealing about him. That must really ruffle your feathers Mr. Lansing, that your ex prefers, Mr. Morgan's company to your own. Are you sure he still knows nothing about his oldest child, what was his name? Cameroon?"

"Cameron," Ric corrected.

"Yes, Cameron, that's it. While I'm glad that she's dead for having trifled with my grandson, Nikolas, I do miss the duplicitous nature of your late wife, Courtney. She was a tremendous asset, if not a bit loose. 2003 was a good year. The way you two played Elizabeth and Jason against one another was masterful, and managed to cause chaos in the Corinthos organization was quite beneficial for me. Sonny's half-sister and half-brother, secretly married and working against him."

"Yes, well. Courtney was tremendous at what she did, but I still prefer Elizabeth to her," Ric asked.

"Having Elizabeth artificially inseminated with Jason's progeny was the best idea you ever had. It was too bad that your secret marriage to Courtney didn't last, that way you two could have left with the child as the ultimate payback for how Sonny chose Jason over you," said Helena.

"Yes, well I guess she set her sights on Jax and Nik's money and wanted to change the plans," Ric replied from the shadows, "I had plans to help Elizabeth raise Cameron, but she ultimately rejected me."

"Did she say why? That young woman is unusually forgiving," Helena stated more as an observation.

"She couldn't get over what I did to Carly, by holding her hostage, which is crazy because Carly has always treated Elizabeth like garbage. I suspect out of jealousy."

"Ah Caroline…I was going to go after her, but Mr. Corinthos recently upped his security. They must've been warned."

"Why Carly? Bobbie Spencer hasn't exactly done anything to you? I mean don't get me wrong I hate Carly, but why her?"

"To create animosity between Luke and his sister. I like creating problems for Luke."

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Hiding in the shadows was a dumbstruck Carly. 'Oh my God, I have to get to Sonny.' Carly slowly made her way to Sonny's office.

Carly made it to Sonny's office, as she walked in she noticed Max. "Is he in?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, Ms. C." Max replied. He could tell something was up by her demeanor.

Carly walked in without preamble as usual.

"Still don't know how to knock do you, Carly."

Carly shut the door behind her, "Look I know you're probably crunched for time, but we've got an issue and you need to hear it."

"What have you gotten yourself into now?" Sonny asked.

"Nothing, but I found out some information that you may want to get checked out as soon as possible. Let me preface this by saying that I didn't start off eavesdropping on this conversation on purpose, but once I saw the players I knew I had to hide."

"Who were these players?" Sonny asked.

"Ric and Helena Cassadine," Carly stated emphatically.

"Ric and Helena?" Sonny Repeated.

"Yeah, so Ric met with Helena on the Docs, and I heard her say to him that he was married to Courtney, and they were in an arrangement together to separate Elizabeth and Jason in 2003. Ric acknowledged what Helena said."

"Are you sure you heard this right?" Sonny questioned.

"Yeah, but it gets more bizarre from there," Carly said.

"How so?"

Carly then added, "Well, Courtney and Ric artificially inseminated Elizabeth, with Jason's sperm."

"What? Have you taken to drinking in the morning, Carly?"

"No, Sonny. This is what they were saying on the docks. Please hear me out. They played all of us. Courtney and Ric were in it together from the start! They meant to steal Jason and Elizabeth's child, Cameron as an ultimate form of revenge against Jason, because you chose Jason over him. I'm not making this up. Cameron needs to be tested, he could be in real danger. I think that's why Ric is still so obsessed with Elizabeth. I mean he's infatuated with her, but it's more than that. He wants to raise Jason's children as his own, and now he knows about the new baby."

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Cortona, Italy 2:00 PM

It was the afternoon, and Gina Costellano, a middle-aged woman had just left the villa. She had been quite impressed with how much Elizabeth knew about the at home birthing process, and how attentive her partner seemed.

Elizabeth had of course explained that she was recently divorced and her ex-husband wasn't the father, but was a violent man. Once this was explained Gina seemed more receptive to the secrecy.

Elizabeth had decided on setting up a water birth, and was having the proper equipment shipped under her alias _, Imogene Cerio_.

"That was amazing," Jason said, "I forgot how fast their heartbeats are in utero."

"I know right. I just makes it all the more real," Elizabeth said, "You okay over there, Emily."

"Yeah, it was just amazing to hear that heartbeat and realize that that's my baby in there."

"It was wonderful to hear. I'm so glad you let her check you out, she'll be here every other week until April, and then she'll start weekly visits. I want you to get checked at least two more times, before our baby comes. You need proper care too!"

"I'll need to go get my prenatal vitamins," Emily said.

"We'll go in a little bit. How are you feeling, Em?" Jason asked.

"I'm fine. Ecstatic actually! I'm going to be someone's mommy."

"They don't even know how lucky they are!" Elizabeth said in reply.

"I hope I'm half the mom you and Monica have been, Liz. I mean it."

"You'll do it better! You always do you, brat," Liz said in return.

Jason walked over to Emily and said, "Anything that you need, I'm here. I love you both, Emily. I agree you're going to be an amazing mother."

"This calls for a celebration. I say we all go out for dinner. I'm going to let the dogs out for a bit, work with Ares and Athena some more, and then we should all go to town and celebrate all of our good fortune. We are healthy, with healthy babies on the way. The kids are doing well. Protection is set up, I love Jason, and he seems to love me…I say we celebrate."

"Seems to love you?" Jason said, "You…I'm crazy in love with you," Jason said grabbing Elizabeth firmly, but gently before kissing her sweet lips.

They broke the kiss and extended their arms outward to Emily, and Elizabeth said, "And we both love you, Em. Get over here and let us hug you and that niece or nephew of ours!"

Emily walked over and was given a big hug by her brother and her best friend.

It was at that moment that Jason's disposable phone began to ring.

"It's Sonny," Jason said before answering, "Morgan."

"I'm just going to head downstairs," Elizabeth whispered to Jason while Emily followed her down.

"Slow down Sonny, say that again the phone's breaking up…What about Cameron?"


	21. Chapter 21

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

21.) Enemies Will Get Caught in Her Webber.

"Slow down Sonny, say that again the phone's breaking up…What about Cameron?"

Hearing Jason say Cameron's name stilled Elizabeth's descent. She turned to look at Jason, and he had his head bowed in concentration. Rather than go back up, she knew that she could trust Jason to tell her anything that Sonny had to say about Cameron, so she continued to go down the steps.

"I wonder what Sonny was saying about Cam?" Emily whispered.

"Jason will tell us. It's better we let Sonny and Jason talk without interrupting them. Sonny, no matter how he may feel about me would never knowingly let anything happen to a child."

"About that, I was surprised to hear that you went to Sonny and Max for fake I.D.s and passports, and not Jason. Equally surprising was the fact that Sonny was so cold in his dealings with you. I thought you two were at one point friends." Emily said as she made her way to the kitchen walking behind Elizabeth.

Francis was already in there, having just made a sandwich for himself.

Elizabeth set about getting some crackers and water to snack on she offered some to Emily which Emily took before Elizabeth answered, "We were friends at one point. I even sat with him the night that Carly miscarried, and held him while he cried. He did the same thing for me the night we thought that Lucky died. You want some water to go with your sandwich, Francis? Emily you want some water to go with your crackers?"

"No thank you, Doll," Francis replied.

"I'll take some. I don't get it, what changed?" Emily asked as Elizabeth handed her a bottled water.

"That's easy…Ric."

"Jason ended up with Courtney, and I ended up with Ric, and Carly ended up in a panic prison room."

"Sonny blames you for that?" Francis asked.

"To this day, Sonny, treats me as if I was aware the whole time or something. Granted, I was warned. But I was warned by Faith Roscoe, and Jason. But Jason and Ric both disliked each other, and I just thought it was a trust issue. As far as Faith was concerned, she was manipulative and I thought she wanted my husband. Which she did. I should've let that barracuda have him, it would've saved me a lot of heartache. I was just a trusting, naïve fool, who wanted to believe that her husband loved her. In return, I ended up with a snake who never loved anyone and almost got me killed several times."

"You never told me how you found out about Carly being locked away." Emily stated.

"Oh…well…that," Elizabeth said taking a swig of water.

"I've never heard this story," said Francis.

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…Meanwhile back upstairs.

"I said you need to run a paternity test on Cameron. We have reason to believe that biologically he's yours," said Sonny.

"Whose we and why do you think that?" asked Jason.

"Let me put you speaker, so Carly can tell you herself." Sonny explained.

"Jase, it's me."

"Hey," said Jason, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I didn't mean to overhear it, but I did."

"Go on. You certainly have my attention now," Jason added.

"I was walking on the docks, when I saw Helena Cassadine. She was waiting for someone. Turns out it was Ric. He was late getting to the party. Anyways, he told her that the baby that Elizabeth is carrying is yours, which brought up some other crazy revelations. Apparently, Ric and Courtney were married to each other in 2003, maybe before then. They both came to town to ruin Sonny. When Sonny chose you, Ric decided to target Elizabeth and he had Courtney target you. Helena knew about it the whole time, and was in on it."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain Cameron," Jason said unconvinced, but open.

"Well Helena indicated to Ric that Cameron was your first born and that you didn't even know it, and neither does Elizabeth. The whole plan being to get Elizabeth pregnant, and kidnap the baby. You wouldn't be the wiser and Courtney and Ric would raise your child as an act of revenge," Carly said.

"Well Courtney certainly had access to my DNA. This would mean that Zander was possibly in on it, or maybe not? I mean who knows," Jason said.

"Zander worked for Faith, I bet he was in on it. 2003 was a rough year for Elizabeth. It was one of the few times I felt pity for her. I feel bad, I pushed Courtney right towards you. Jase, I'm…I'm so sorry," Carly stated completely defeated at this point.

"We all made mistakes that year, Carly. Thanks for telling me about this," Jason added.

"When you talk to Elizabeth, tell her I said that I'm sorry, and thank her for me."

"I'll pass that along. What are you thanking her for?" asked Jason curiously.

"She was right about Helena targeting me and the boys. She wants to create problems between Mama and Luke, but the added security deterred her, for the moment at least."

"I'll let her know that her warning helped. Sonny maybe we need to send Carly, Bobbie, Lulu and the boys to a different locale if you catch my meaning."

"I'll discuss it with them and get back to you," Sonny replied vaguely.

"Thanks for the update," Jason said.

"No problem," Sonny replied before ending the call.

Jason made his way downstairs and could hear the beginning of a story as he made his way to the kitchen, but stopped just short to hear what was being said by Emily, Elizabeth, and Francis.

"You never told me how you found out about Carly being locked away." Emily stated.

"Oh…well…that," Elizabeth said taking a swig of water.

"I've never heard this story," said Francis.

"Well, it all started when I met with Sonny at the park and asked him not to kill Ric, which in retrospect was stupid. I asked him, based on the friendship that we used to have not harm Ric; that Ric was going to give up his obsession with him and Jason, because we had a baby on the way."

"Sounds like a reasonable request," Emily stated.

"At the time, given that I didn't know what an ass Ric was it seemed reasonable to me. Anyways, as soon as Sonny left, I began my descent down the steps and was pushed with significant enough force to render me unconscious and kill my baby."

Francis sighed, "I don't know how much one person is supposed to suffer but I think you've more than had your fill."

"Thanks Francis, but 2003, was as Queen Elizabeth II put it, 'My annus horrilibus,' I guess this year was my family's annus horrilibus. Anyway, I told Ric when I awoke that I had just met with Sonny, but that I didn't think he would do a thing like that. Ric wouldn't let it go. He was so certain it was Sonny. Sonny, who I'd never seen be forceful with anyone, especially a woman. I just couldn't believe it and he was so angry with me for defending Sonny. We had some arguments about that, and Sonny flat out denied hurting me, which I believed, but Ric didn't. I guess Ric got it in his head that Carly and Sonny's unborn baby Morgan would be the perfect replacement, so he kidnapped Carly at Jason and Courtney's wedding and hid her in a panic room that he had made before he even showed me the house."

"How did you make the discovery," Emily asked.

"I had just gotten home from seeing Dr. Meadows and had been given clean bill of health to go ahead try for another baby. I was so excited that I planned a picnic for Ric at the park to tell him our exciting news. What I didn't know was that while we were at the park Ric decided to dose my drink with birth control pills, and that was on top of the pills that he'd given me that morning that I didn't know about. It was important that I not get pregnant, because then there would've been no reason to kidnap Carly."

"That son of bitch," Francis said shaking his head, "Just why is he still breathing?"

"I knew he was responsible for what happened I just didn't realize it was that nefarious, Elizabeth," Emily said.

Jason just against the wall listening. 'I almost lost her in 2003, and for what?' Jason thought, 'Courtney is my biggest regret. That and not killing Ric.'

"Yeah, so get this. Ric thought he was so clever, but he left the bookshelf door ajar, and I went to straighten out the shelf and noticed a peculiar button, which I of course pressed. And wouldn't you know that when I pressed the button, the door to the panic room slid back and out came an ankle chained Carly."

"Oh you must have freaked out Elizabeth," Emily said.

"I was horrified. Everything I was building my life upon was a lie and hanging in the balance was Carly and her unborn baby. I almost had a mental breakdown there, but managed to pull it together enough to walk over to her and try to help her get free. Carly, told me to call 911, that Ric had the key, so I walked over to the phone and started to dial, but by the time I got to the phone a pulmonary embolism caused by the insane amount of birth control given to me and the shock of finding Carly, caused me to collapse, my last memory, is of me throwing the phone to Carly at her request before I passed out. And that's how I found Carly. Not that it mattered much. I might as well been as guilty as Ric, for all Sonny has been concerned. I can't say that I blame him. I didn't listen when Jason and Sonny warned me. I honestly don't know how Jason could even stand to look at me."

"Elizabeth," Francis started, "You have a great loyal heart. Ric took advantage of that. He saw how hurt you were that year in your breakup with Jason and used that against you. You would never hurt Carly, Sonny or Jason intentionally."

"So what happened when you woke up?" Emily asked.

"Well after they removed the Pulmonary Embolism, I had a heart attack and went completely Asystole, and was brought back."

'I remember that,' Jason thought, 'the worst moment of my life up until that point.'

"I didn't remember everything at first, but then I had a rather unwelcome visitor in my room and was reminded of the panic room."

"Who was the visitor?" Francis asked.

"Lorenzo Alcazar."

"Lorenzo Alcazar visited you?" Francis asked.

"Yeah."

'Son of a bitch,' Jason thought, 'She may as well faced the entire mob that year.'

"What did he say?"

"He told me that my husband was very dangerous, and that he'd observed Ric hold a pillow to my face earlier in the day but was interrupted, and that he held Carly hostage in a hidden room."

"Did he tell you why he decided to divulge this information to you?" Francis asked.

"He said that he thought I was a good woman who'd been hurt too many times. Apparently, he'd been in my home a lot. When we weren't there."

"Did you remember the panic room at some point?" Emily asked.

"I didn't remember the panic room right away, but about 15 minutes after Alcazar left I recalled the room, and seeing Carly and I called the police to make a statement against Ric."

"My God, Elizabeth," Emily started, "He was going to kill you. I mean he had actual intent to kill you."

"I know," Elizabeth stated.

"Why did you go back?" Francis asked.

"I don't know. I wanted to try to love him. I mean if I couldn't have Jason, which is who I wanted all along, at least Ric was interested and occasionally attentive, when he wasn't trying to kill me. I walked out of Jason's Penthouse a damn fool and into the arms of the Devil himself, and that's what young and naïve will get you, but no more."

'She wanted me all along. I should've gone after her. Stubborn idiots. He was gonna kill her,' Jason thought as tears streamed down his face.

"You don't really see Ric anymore. Do you, Elizabeth?"

"Well not really, Francis. Until this year."

"What does that mean?" Francis asked.

"It means that once he found out I was pregnant, he's been strangely attentive. I've maintained an uncomfortable cordiality with him throughout the years in passing, but things took at a strange turn in October."

"How so?" Emily asked.

"I must've forgotten to tell you, with all of Lucky garbage going on. Ric propositioned me to become his wife again should Alexis die, because I'm so good with kids. I mean can you believe that crap? Be a mother to his child. I shudder to think, then a month later he corners me at the hospital and threatens to kill this baby and have Cameron and Aurora taken from me. The day he takes my children is the day that I kill him."

Shaking his head Jason emerged from around the corner, "That day may be sooner than you think. You didn't tell me about the pillow incident."

"It never came up. Honestly, until I regaled this whole story, I forgot about it, but it happened," Elizabeth stated.

"Of that I have no doubt, and here's why…"

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Port Charles

All of Port Charles high society was gathered in remembrance of the late Dr. Sarah Webber, but there was one distinct absence that people were starting to notice.

Nik, stood stoically to the side. Sarah had once been his childhood sweetheart. For her to die in such a grizzly manner was awful.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Lulu asked.

"She's probably not coming." Nik replied.

"She's so selfish. I mean first she won't reconcile with Lucky, and then she lies to him about him not being the father their unborn baby, and now her sister is viscously murdered and she's too important to show up."

Carly walked in and listened to her cousin rant, while shaking her head, 'God is this what I sound like all the time? Do the right thing Carly.'

"Lulu, there's a lot you don't know about. Maybe now isn't the best time to pass judgment. Elizabeth may have reasons for why she can't be here. I mean Emily as I understand it, was friends with Sarah and isn't in attendance either. There's just a lot going on. I think you should calm down and…and come talk to me for a moment."

"You hate Elizabeth, why are you defending her?"

"Let's just say, that I may have condemned her too soon. There's things that she does that grate my nerves, but she's not a bad person. Just come sit down with me. We'll go to Kelly's after this and have a talk."

"Fine," Lulu said miffed.

"Hey mama."

"Carly, correct me if I'm wrong but did I hear you just defend Elizabeth."

"You may have, but this doesn't get back to the muffin."

Bobbie just shook her head and laughed to herself.

It was at this point that a barely sober Lucky Spencer came into the room. As expected he greeted his sister and his brother and then slowly made his way to the coffin. Kneeling down at the altar, that lie where the coffin was Lucky began to pretend to pray over his old friend Sarah.

"Dear Lord…" Lucky began looking around as he whispered, "I'm sorry I had to kill you Sarah, but I need Elizabeth back in my life. She's mine. She has to pay for having a baby with someone else. I'm going to make her pay. She'll bleed much like I made you bleed, and so will the father of her baby."

Lucky got up from the altar not knowing that his confession had been videotaped for all of WSB to hear and see.

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Back in Cortona.

"Of that I have no doubt, and here's why. I think Ric has always planned on killing you."

"What…why?" Elizabeth asked.

"I just got off the phone with Sonny. It turns out that you were probably never legally married to Ric and I was never legally married to Courtney, because they were married to each other. I'm going to have to look up the records to find out when they got married."

"How was this information revealed?" Elizabeth asked.

"Carly was hanging around the docks again and overheard a conversation between Helena Cassadine and Ric, of all people."

Elizabeth started to become visibly ill as Jason walked up to her and said, "We were played. There's more, do you think you can handle hearing more?"

"Does it have to do with Cameron?"

"Yeah."

"Oh God, please tell me he's not actually Ric's. I might vomit right here."

"Actually, you might be relieved when you hear who the alternative is."

"Oh God, is it Sonny? Did…did they conspire against Sonny, by impregnating me with his…his…his biological material?"

"Actually, what was revealed on the docks is not that far off. It's not his material. They said it was mine."

"Yours?" Liz looked up with a mixture of hope and relief, and a smile.

"Mine," Jason said as he nudged his face toward hers, "We'll get tested this week."

"If this is true, it's the best news in hours. But…but that would mean that I…I kept you from your child," Elizabeth looked suddenly sad.

"I got to feel his first kick and you never turned down an opportunity to let me hold him. Elizabeth, if what they said is true, then you were a victim in this, and were violated at some point in order to make this happen. That's important to keep in mind."

"That is true, but if it turns out that you're the father of Cameron, then the violation while awful, will have been worth it. Cameron will have his real father in the man that I love. You will know your first born, and they won't win. I won't let them win. This is a violation if true that I can live with," Elizabeth said as she turned her small hand into a fist.

Looking up at Jason, Elizabeth regained her strength.

"Wow," said Emily, "You two know how to bring the drama without even trying."

"They've just sealed their fate. If they thought that this revelation would someday destroy me to essentially be raped twice. They were mistaken. I'm going to enjoy every second of taking down every single one of the bastards who played a part in this. Anyone who has hurt me or my family, to include my extended family, will not be getting second chances," Elizabeth said.

"How do you plan on accomplishing that?" Francis asked.

"After our son is born," Elizabeth said looking at Jason before continuing, "I'm going to spend all my time training: Fighting, shooting, driving and most importantly learning more about psychological warfare. When I'm not with the kids, this will be what I dedicate my life to. They fucked with the wrong one."

"Elizabeth, are you serious?" asked Emily.

"I am. I have children to protect, and people to kill," Elizabeth said before marching off.

In the distance they could hear Elizabeth calling the dogs out for their afternoon training.

"My God, she's serious," Francis said unbelieving, "Jason, are you okay with this?"

"I don't know…but I'm not upset with her for wanting to be able to defend herself and our children. I'll just have to be supportive and hope she doesn't get into too much trouble."

"You guys are thinking she's going to be another Carly. Elizabeth is nothing like her. She's a planner. Elizabeth generally doesn't go out of her way to be vindictive…anymore, but I knew her before the rape and let me tell you, we all may have underestimated just how dangerous Elizabeth can be."

"What do you mean, Em?" Jason asked.

"I mean that there's a part of Elizabeth that used to be incredibly vindictive. The kind of vindictive that you don't see coming until it's too late, and you realize you never had a chance. Elizabeth used to be great at psychological warfare. I watched her torture Sarah. In some cases Sarah had it coming, in other cases it was Elizabeth being cruel. I think Helena may have made a critical error, and Ric just broke the proverbial camel's back."

"I'm finding this hard to believe," Jason said having never seen this side of Elizabeth.

"Me too," said Francis, "This is a little hard to take. Don't get me wrong. I will support her efforts, it's just that it seems so unlike her."

"Well the rape changed her, but it didn't kill her. It made her patient. Kind of like a spider and now she's going to let her enemies come to her. Where she'll be awaiting…and they'll get caught in Webber's Web."

I just want to thank the readers for their continued support. This has been a fun project and your kind words and interest have made all the difference. Thanks Dani, I fixed the error! LOL!


	22. Chapter 22

Sorry for the delay. I've had a lot of work to do, and have had to write this in my spare moments.

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

Chapter 22.) Out of the Mouths of Babes

Elizabeth was outside putting the dogs through their paces. At her side was Cameron, who had wandered out to stand beside his mother as he carefully observed her

give orders to their new guard dogs.

"Cameron why don't you call Apollo over?"

"Apollo, come." Cameron said as Apollo followed the command.

"Now tell him to sit."

"Sit Apollo," Cameron said, and Apollo sat.

"Good boy, Apollo."

"Now tell him to heel," Elizabeth said to Cameron.

"Heel Apollo," said Cameron, and Apollo made his way around his master to come heel at his side.

"You're very good at this Cam. I'm so proud of you."

Liz called the other dogs forward and gave each of them a treat. She gave a treat to Cameron who carefully fed it to Apollo. At Elizabeth's command Cameron and the dogs followed her inside as she guided them down to the cellar. For the most part, she'd managed to clear the cellar of the scorpions, but a few remained. She was going to set a time up for the pest control company that Signore Dellapenta recommended to come out and assess the issue. She didn't want the dogs or children stung, but as she understood it, the local scorpions weren't venomous, just more of a nuisance.

As Elizabeth came back upstairs she noticed that Jason, Emily and Francis were sitting at the kitchen table deep in discussion. It looked as though they hadn't moved since she made her declaration of war before going outside.

She'd meant what she said. The guilty parties were going to pay with their lives.

Aurora was playing with her stuffed animals in the downstairs living room, and Cameron had decided to join her.

Elizabeth smiled at the children's laughter, as she made her way back to the kitchen. 'A sound that I'll never tire of hearing,' and for a moment her heart warmed, but as she came forward and heard the conversation ensuing in the kitchen the lightheartedness she felt before quickly left.

"I'm just worried that she'll take on too much," Francis said.

"If there's one thing I know about Liz, is that she knows how to pace herself," Emily said understanding Elizabeth's point of view completely, "Francis, Elizabeth and I have been fighting nearly all the same battles for a decade, especially when it comes to this Cassadine feud. She doesn't want to let life happen to her anymore. I can see why her plans are so important to her," Emily said.

"I know that Em, and I'm on her side. Trust me I am. I just worry," Francis replied.

"What's going on in here?" Liz said.

Jason, who had mostly been observing up until this point had waved her forward and offered his lap for Elizabeth to sit on. "Francis and I are worried about you. We think you're absolutely justified in wanting to protect yourself, we just don't think you should have to battle alone," Jason said.

"I appreciate that. I do. I don't expect to do everything alone, but I've made my plans and I will be executing them. That doesn't mean I may not need help. I'm a novice at this, and I've been naïve in the past, but I need to eliminate some of the players. Tom Baker, Helena and Lucky being my primary targets. I'll let you handle Ric. He's Sonny's brother after all and dealing with him will have to be done delicately.

Jason simply nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Silence fell upon the kitchen before Elizabeth's hungry belly made its presence known with a loud grumble.

"We need to go to dinner soon. Our baby is hungry and I suppose I could eat something too," Elizabeth said while stroking her growing and growling belly.

Jason moved his hand over her abdomen affectionately giving it a gentle stroke, "Are you two hungry?" Jason asked Francis and Emily.

"I'm starved," Emily replied.

"I'm hungry. There's a restaurant not too far from here that I saw and thought we could try," Francis said.

"Well I'm game if you are?" Elizabeth replied.

Elizabeth stood from the comfort of Jason's lap and it was at that moment that her disposable cell phone rang.

Elizabeth walked over to it and read the display, "Oh it's Anna!" She exclaimed. "Hello Anna." Elizabeth said answering the phone in her British accent.

"Dearest, you're not going to believe me when I tell you, but your plan worked."

"Get out!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "I'm putting you on speaker." Elizabeth pressed the speaker button on her phone.

"Fine. If you feel as though you must. Just know that your little plan worked. He confessed to your sister's body, that he killed her."

"You're kidding. It was just a gamble on my part knowing human nature the way that I do. Have you arrested him yet?"

"Not yet, we have a few loose ends that we need to take care of before we pick him up."

"I can't believe he'd be so foolish," Elizabeth thought about that statement for a moment then looked at Jason who was smirking. "You know what, never mind. I actually can believe that."

Emily was shaking her head in disbelief somewhat distraught. Elizabeth grabbed her hand to comfort Emily, which helped calm her.

"Did he say why he did it Anna?" Emily asked.

"He said that it was in hopes that his ex-wife would come back to him. He hopes to punish her and the man who impregnated her, by making her and him bleed."

'Well he just forfeited his life,' Jason thought.

"I'm just glad that he confessed. What a fool," said Elizabeth, "Call me when you get him Anna."

"Of that you can rest assured," Anna said ending the call.

"Who's still hungry?" Elizabeth asked looking around the room.

"I am, but let me make a call," Jason said, "Can you spare me about 2 minutes."

"Sure, babe. I need to change my shoes anyway," Liz said giving him a kiss on the cheek before exiting the kitchen. Jason became easily distracted by even the smallest of gestures that Elizabeth gave him. Shaking himself awake from the kiss that Elizabeth gave him, Jason placed his call.

"Hey, you got a minute?" Jason asked the person on the other end.

"Good, here's what I want."

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The crisp spring air was chilling him to the bone along the water's edge. He'd been waiting on the Docks for the last 10 minutes for the launch to Wyndemere to return. Lucky had wanted to ask his brother if he knew where Elizabeth was. Lucky felt like Nik had to know her location, because he was the only one that she was close with that would have the means to help her escape quickly.

"Lucky?"

Lucky turned around and was greeted by Samantha McCall, 'Just great,' Lucky thought.

"Samantha, what can I do for you?"

"Well actually, you can't do anything for me, but maybe I can do something for you."

"What is it that you think you can do for me, Samantha?" Lucky said as he perused her assets that she seemed to always have on display.

"I was wondering if you knew who the father of Elizabeth's unborn baby is, because we both know that it's not you." Samantha insinuated while running her hand through her hair in a flirtatious manner meant to entice.

"Just come right out and say it Samantha. I don't have time for guessing games," Lucky replied.

"Don't you want to know who the father of Elizabeth's unborn child is? We both know that you don't know who the real daddy is."

"And I suppose that you believe you know."

"I do know," Samantha replied in a very sure tone.

"How would you know a thing like that? You and Liz aren't even friends. You're not even a part of our circle"

"No, we're not. If you want to know the truth I can't stand the bitch."

"Watch your mouth Sam."

"Why do you care what I call her? She's humiliated you by sleeping with someone else," asked Samantha.

"Because no else is allowed to call her that. Once, I find her and convince her to come back to me, she and I will have a conversation about her transgressions against me, including her infidelity the night of the black out. Now, if you know the identity of her so-called lover, it would be helpful in finding her, but I'm not really in the mood to play 20 questions with you."

"If I share this with you what are you going to do for me?"

"Nothing, I'm not interested in quid pro quo, Sam."

"Fine, fine, fine…I'll tell you anyway because I feel you deserve to know. The father of Elizabeth's baby is my ex, Jason Morgan," Samantha said incomplete exasperation.

"Jason Morgan? That thug. I should've known. He's been sniffing around her for years."

"Well she came to him that night."

"Jason Morgan. Well, he has the resources to get her out of town."

"The way I understand it, she left town before he did," Sam explained as the launch pulled up to the docks.

"Thanks Sam, it's nice to know you're good for something," Lucky said while boarding the launch intent on finding out if his brother knew where Elizabeth was hiding.

"Good for something? Why that no good son-of-a-bitch," Sam said as she whispered to herself then left the docks and made her way over to Kelly's. She'd decided to stay there for the night since Rick had simply been showing up to use her body in the middle of the night and then leaving when she'd been staying at Jake's. She was tired and needed the rest.

As Sam approached Kelly's she spotted Carly and Lulu through the window, "It's best if I take the back way up."

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Inside Kelly's

"I just don't get it, Carly. Why are you defending Elizabeth all of the sudden?" Lulu asked.

"Because I've been made incorrect assumptions and I need to make amends. Elizabeth isn't lying to your brother. Trust me when I tell you that the baby isn't his. I know who the father is but at the moment I'm not at liberty to say," Carly said taking a sip of her drink from a straw.

"Not at liberty to say? Oh my God, its Sonny's isn't it?" Lulu asked.

"What?" Carly replied, spraying her drink everywhere.

"Geesh Carly, say it don't spray it will you!" Lulu admonished her cousin while patting herself dry.

"Sonny is NOT the father of her baby?"

"Oh let me guess, then it's Jason's. Oh my…that's it isn't it. That's why Jason broke it off with Sam."

"Jason broke it off with Sam because he's not in love with her."

"He's the father though isn't he?"

Carly simply nodded yes, "Hey, but listen, we're not talking about this to anyone. It could put Elizabeth in danger and her children for that matter."

"Fine. I won't say anything. I just can't believe she cheated on my brother."

"Hey, no offense but your brother wasn't exactly Mr. Faithful. This wasn't his first time cheating either. From what I understand. Not only has he cheated with Maxie, but at one point he cheated with Elizabeth's sister Sarah. Your brother, my cousin, is not a saint. There's women who would've stepped out on Lucky for less. Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, Jason and Elizabeth have been attracted to each other for years, much to my chagrin. This was a long time coming. I just never wanted to admit it!"

"I still think she should've been in town today?"

"Lulu, she has several lunatics after her, and her showing up to her sister's funeral would be exactly what they're counting on."

"Well when you put it that way I suppose you're right," Lulu replied.

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Wyndemere

"I wasn't expecting you," Nik said as he looked up from the paperwork on his desk, "What brings you out here? I thought you were working undercover."

"I was, but I came back because Tom Baker was threatening Emily and Elizabeth."

"Yeah, Em told me."

"Is Em here?" Lucky asked.

"No, Jason took Emily out of town a few days ago. In fact, they took off the morning after Tom Baker left all of those mementos in Emily's and Elizabeth's lockers. Is the PCPD any closer to finding that lunatic? I would like Emily to come home."

"You wouldn't happen to know where Emily is." Lucky said.

"No, she's only called me once and she was very vague about her whereabouts. Jason is no doubt keeping her on a short leash."

"Any word on Elizabeth?" Lucky asked.

"I'm afraid not. I was out of town when she fled. I wish I had known she was in trouble. I would've helped her. Of course, seeing as how it's my Grandmother who's caused all of this I can understand why she would be reluctant to turn to me."

"Do me a favor will you? I have to head out of town for a few days with work. Call me if you find out where Em is. I'm worried about her," Lucky said.

"I'll be sure to do that," Nik replied as Lucky made his way toward the door.

Lucky merely waved good-bye in return before heading out the door.

'That was strange,' thought Nik

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Cortona, Italy Town Square

"Jason, that meal was to die for," said Emily, "Thanks for picking the location Francis."

"No problem, Kiddo!"

"I'm glad that you liked it," Jason said, "What about you little lady? Did you like your dinner?" Jason asked to the beautiful young lady holding his right hand.

"I sure did, Uncle Jason. It was so yummy! Thank you for getting me dinner," Aurora said with a smile.

'She is so sweet,' Jason thought, 'I just don't understand how anyone could willingly hurt her.'

"Cam, buddy did you enjoy your meal?" Jason asked.

"I liked it. Can we get giglioto?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, we can stop for gelato," Jason replied to the young boy whom he considered his son, 'I can't believe I might be his actual biological father! Ric is going to pay. If this is true and they violated Elizabeth so they could steal our child Ric will be dead very soon, Sonny be damned.'

Elizabeth was holding Cameron's other hand while they all approached the gelato vender. Everyone placed their order and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Emily, Elizabeth, Cameron, and Aurora all got chocolate, while Jason and Francis got vanilla. Elizabeth and Emily were nearly finished with their cups and were enjoying polite conversation when a foul smell caught Elizabeth's attention. Jason and Francis were entertaining the children near the fountain which was about 10 feet away.

"Good Lord, what is that horrible smell?" asked Emily.

"Oh God," Elizabeth said, "That foul smell would be Signore de Marco."

"Holy cow! You weren't kidding," Emily stated, "That's God awful."

"Maybe if we move closer to Jason," Elizabeth stated.

Emily and Elizabeth made their way over to Jason, Francis and the kids.

"What brings you ladies over here so quickly," Francis asked looking at their faces.

"So how do you two feel about leaving and taking a ride to anywhere but where we are at this exact moment?"

"What's brought on this sudden need for a road trip?" Jason asked in amusement.

Liz bent down and whispered, "Signore de Marco, who placed a bid on a contract to fix our villa is standing behind me. He smells really bad, and your sister and I are having a rather unsavory, yet visceral reaction to his unpleasant scent."

"Gotcha babe, we're outta here!" Jason replied with a bit of mirth to his voice suggesting he may laugh.

"You don't have time to laugh, we're going to puke. Come on he hasn't seen me yet," Liz begged.

"Signora Cerio," Signore de Marco said as he made his way up to her.

Liz quickly mouthed 'Fuck,' to Emily and Jason. In a moment, of wisdom Jason chose not to say anything, but his eyes definitely found this amusing.

"My God he smells terrible," Emily whispered to Jason, "Please we've got to get out of here."

"Hello Signore de Marco," Elizabeth replied as politely as possible despite the wave of nausea washing over her, "You've caught us as we were leaving."

"I was wondering if perhaps you would like to have dinner date with me," Signore de Marco said.

"That's very thoughtful of you, but my fiancé doesn't like when I go on dates with other people?"

"Your…Your- a fiancé?" Signore de Marco asked.

At that moment, Jason stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Elizabeth in a protective manner while placing a kiss along her neck to help convey the "she's taken," message.

"What makes a him so a special? You didn't seem so a taken the other day?"

"He's special because he has my heart and he's a wonderful man. I'm sorry I didn't come across as taken the other day, but I am," Elizabeth said grabbing Jason's hand reassuringly. "It was so nice seeing you again Signore de Marco, but we really must all be going. Have a nice evening, ciao!"

"Ciao," Signore de Marco said.

"Come on children let's go for a ride."

"That sounds like fun," said Cameron.

As the group walked past Signore de Marco, the group did their best not to inhale, at least those that knew better. Unfortunately, Aurora being young didn't know better and caught a big whiff of the smelly man. "Aunt Lizzie," Aurora said looking up at her Aunt.

"Yes, dolly?" Liz said smiling at the little girl.

"Why does that man smell like doodie?" Aurora announced as only children do.

At this Jason burst out laughing as did Francis and Emily.

"Let's just walk to the car Aurora," Elizabeth answered gently.

"But, Aunt Lizzie."

"I'll answer you in the car, little lady," Elizabeth replied beyond embarrassed.

"Yeah, his mommy needs to teach him how to bathe," replied Cameron rather loud and echoing his cousin's sentiments.

"Let's just get in the car you two," Elizabeth said beyond mortified and doing her best not to laugh.

Once seated with doors closed, "Out of the mouth of babes. Let's go for a ride before the sun sets,"

Jason just looked back at Elizabeth perplexed, at not having heard that phrase before.

"It phrase applied to young children when they say something incredibly honest or wise that an adult generally wouldn't utter."

Francis and Jason were riding up front, Liz and Em were in the middle, and the kids were in the back.

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Port Charles – Spencer Family Home

"I'm going undercover. So I'll be gone for a few days." Lucky said over the phone.

"Do you know when you'll be back?" Lulu asked.

"Nope. I have some stuff I've got to take care of?"

"You're not going after Elizabeth are you?"

"And what if I am?" Lucky replied.

"I think you need to stop this Lucky. It's unhealthy."

"What's unhealthy?"

"This unnatural obsession you have with Elizabeth. She's moved on Lucky. I think that it's time for you to as well."

"I will never be ready to move on. Elizabeth is mine. I'm going to remind her of that."

"I think you're going to have major competition for her heart, and I don't think she's going to choose you Lucky. You really need to stop and maybe think about your job, Lucky."

"No, I don't. I need to focus on getting Elizabeth back, with her by my side I can do anything."

"Lucky, you're scaring me. I don't like where this is heading."

"I just need to convince her that she, and the new baby, and Cameron belong with me."

"What about Aurora?"

"We can't afford to take the world's problems on. I'll convince her to put the little girl up for adoption."

"Lucky! That is never going to happen. Elizabeth loves that little girl like she's her own."

"She'll get over it. It's for the best. I mean honestly, it's what I would do with Cameron and the new baby if I thought I could get away with it. It could just be me and Elizabeth."

"Lucky, I think you've finally lost it."

"No, this is the most lucid I've ever been."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Lulu replied, "Look, I really think you should rethink this idea."

"I've got to go, Lulu!"

"Lucky wai.," there was click and the conversation ended.

As Lucky finished packing, he made his way out of the house, luggage in tow. He locked up the house, and went over to his vehicle, and sat down in the front seat.

Before he was able to start his car, a strong hand came from around the backseat and the hand that was attached to that arm had a rag covered in chloroform in it.

"That's right, you piece of shit. Just breathe. Compliments of Mr. and soon to be Mrs. Morgan."

"I've got the package subdued?" said the disguised man from the plane, "We'll be in your vicinity in about 10 hours. Do you have the space cleared?"

"Absolutely, can't wait to have the package delivered. He has a great deal to atone for. Thank you, Johnny."

"Happy to oblige, Jason. Very happy to oblige," Johnny replied.

22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22

Cortona, Italy - Early Wednesday Morning.

"Absolutely, can't wait to have the package delivered. He has a great deal to atone for. Thank you, Johnny."

"Happy to oblige, Jason. Very happy to oblige," Johnny replied.

Jason hung up the phone and walked back into their bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind him. Elizabeth propped her head up on the pillow and supported her head with her hand while she patted the empty spot next to her.

"Do you want to talk about it if you can?" Elizabeth asked.

"My guy got Lucky. They're on their way here," Jason suppled.

"It's good to know. I'll let you dispatch him, Jason, but there are somethings I want to say to hat awful wretch."

"He'll be subdued, which is the only way that I would let you near him."

"Ooh, you're in protector mode. Tell me more," Elizabeth said as she straddled Jason and whispered in his ear, nipping his left lobe as she finished her statement.

Elizabeth slowly inched his pants down, and he aided her by briefly lifting up his rear so that he could be free of his confines.

Elizabeth grinded on Jason's lap not quite impaling herself just yet but definitely setting the mood.

"Well, when he gets here he'll be strapped into a seat, he'll be gagged and he only be able to look at you. He won't be able to touch you, like I'm getting to," Jason said as he guided his hands over her hips. He could tell that she was more than ready, "Your skin is like silk."

"I love the way your hands grip me," Elizabeth said rising up and sliding back down on his stiff cock. She gave him a lust filled look. The bed was squeaking, the rhythm was set, and it wouldn't be long now.

"God, I love you woman," Jason said.

"I love you too," Elizabeth replied as Jason found her clit and helped her find release. A few thrusts later Jason climaxed.

"Elizabeth, you're too much. How have I gone this long without you? You're everything."

"No, Jason. You are. You make feel free enough so that we can love each other openly. You're my heart."

Jason simply hugged her back, and then started to laugh. Elizabeth leaned back and looked at Jason.

"What's so amusing?"

"Aurora earlier. 'Aunt Lizzie, Why does that man smell like doodie?'"

Elizabeth started blushing, "I'm not mad at her, it was just the timing of the statement was poor, and she wasn't wrong. The man reeks!"

"It was like you said, 'Out of the mouths of babes.' He was awful. I can see why you didn't hire him."

"That and he hit on me," Liz said shaking her head.

"He's got good taste. I hit on you"

"It's weird. I'm very pregnant and he doesn't know me. Plus, you impregnated me, so that's not weird. That's just a fact. Although, I've always been surprised that you would show any interest in me."

"Why, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever known, ever seen or want to be with."

"Jason," Elizabeth said as she leaned forward into the crook of his neck. Eventually, Elizabeth's breath evened out and Jason laid them down. The night passed and the two lovers clung to each other.


	23. Chapter 23

I don't own General Hospital or the characters therein, nor do I own rights to Hannibal, months later and I'm still relatively poor with a lot of time on my hands.

Chapter 23.) Don't Want to Steal Her Thunder

Pig Farm in Tuscany - Wednesday

The room smelled dank and he ached from having both his arms and legs restrained behind the chair he was sitting in. His mouth was gagged with a scarf, and his eyes hurt because of the unnaturally bright light aimed in his direction.

"Well, well, well…Whatever do we have here?" chimed the familiar female voice.

"Mmm…mmmm." The restrained man tried to utter her name in recognition but the gag clearly prohibited that, so he tried wiggling in his chair instead.

"Ah, ah, ah," Elizabeth said waving her right index finger back and forth in admonition, while she walked from behind where Lucky was sitting. She gingerly placed her left hand on his shoulder, before leaning down as much as her belly would let her and audibly whispered, "Save your strength, Spencer. You're going to need it."

Jason walked up from behind Lucky carrying a chair. Turning the chair around Jason sat down in it backwards, facing the back of the chair but still directly in front of Lucky from about 5 feet away, "Hiya, Lucky," Jason said with a smirk.

Lucky looked back and forth between Elizabeth and Jason completely confused by the situation.

"He looks confused. Doesn't he, Jason?" Elizabeth asked as she stood beside him and tilted her head in his direction.

"That he does," Jason answered.

"How was your trip to California, Lucky? Did you happen to meet up with any old acquaintances?" Elizabeth asked as she crossed her arms.

"Mmmm…mmmm," Lucky replied as he continued to struggle against his constraints.

"What's that? I can't understand you with that gag in your mouth?" Elizabeth asked and then turned her eyes to her fiancé, "Jason, baby did you get any of that?"

"I'm not fluent in dead man gibberish so….no. Sorry, babe can't say that I understood what this fool was trying to convey, but to be fair I haven't listened to what he's been saying for years, him being a cop and all. You know how I feel about cops. Hence, the irony of doing this at a pig farm."

"You're too funny! Darn…Oh how rude of me!" Elizabeth exclaimed turning from Jason to look at Lucky, "I forgot to introduce you to my fiancé and the father of my unborn baby. You remember Jason Morgan don't you Lucky? The man you tried to plant drugs on and almost shot. The man you held a knife on all those years ago, and then had the nerve to lie about."

"Mmmm….nnnnn," was all Lucky said as he slashed around his eyes burning with rage at the injustice.

"Alright, alright. If you're good I'll take the gag out. Do you promise to behave?" Elizabeth said.

Lucky merely shook his head in the affirmative.

"Atta boy, now no thrashing," Elizabeth said while she removed the gag.

"Why you, bitch!" Lucky exclaimed snarling, "How can you lay with this…this criminal? He'll never love you like I do."

"Thank goodness for that. I'm glad that he won't love me like you supposedly do. Exactly, how many sisters do you think I have available for the slaughter, Lucky?, Nope, I can't afford to have anyone else love me the way that you do," Elizabeth said as she walked over to Jason and lovingly stroked his face and arm laying a seductive kiss on him.

"What are you talking abou-? Stop that! How can you kiss him like that in front of me," Lucky tried to say.

"I'll kiss Jason whenever and wherever I wish. And if you had more time, I'd do a whole hell of a lot more than kiss him." Jason lifted his eyebrows at the suggestion, and completely turned on, Elizabeth turned back to Lucky, "Now to get back on topic, I know you raped and murdered Sarah. I guessed that it was you, but then you went and confessed to her at her funeral. The WSB recorded your admission of guilt Lucky."

"You lie. I would never hurt Sarah. Jason's the criminal he probably hired someone to do it."

"Are you still on drugs Lucky? Jason doesn't hurt women, and has no reason to hurt me. Let's try this again. Why did you kill my sister?" Elizabeth screamed with righteous indignation as carefully walked up to him.

"Release me, Elizabeth, and I'll forgive you for this betrayal and we'll go home together as a family: you, me, and my baby the way it should be. We can even bring Cameron," Lucky said.

"You're delusional, but that is beside the point. A. I'm not going anywhere with you, because you're not leaving this farm alive, and Jason is the man I love, that I've always loved. My obligation to your sorry ass got in the way of that. B. This baby isn't yours. Jason, the man I love and I made him together. Also, are you trying to suggest that bringing Cameron would be a casual thing, like he doesn't register as significant in our lives? And what about Aurora, you've failed to mention her at all, what would I do with her if I were to entertain your foolish, what was the word you used Jason, gibberish?" Elizabeth asked.

"This baby you're carrying is mine I just know it. As for Cameron, he's your kid so you can…ya know…bring him with you, but we can't afford to take on the world's problems so your niece will have to be put up for adoption. Why would you even volunteer to raise her anyways. It's beyond me," Lucky replied with little care.

Losing all her composure, Elizabeth walked up to Lucky and backhanded him with as much force and rage as she could muster. As a result, Lucky's head was sent flying to the side with the unexpected blow, "Listen here you insignificant little pischer, I have the results that show that Jason is the father of our unborn child. A child whom you will not live long enough to see. As for Cameron, he is my baby and will always be significant to me. He is my heart and came from my body. No one, and I mean no one comes between me and my offspring. It is an innate duty and joy to protect my son, especially from the likes of you. A job that I admittedly took for granted last year as I was consumed with helping you, but no more. As for my niece Aurora, she is my daughter in every way that matters, I would never willingly separate her from my family. Jason not only loves me, but he loves all of our children and is willing to adopt Aurora."

"But not Cameron," Lucky replied with a smirk, "So much for loving your bastard son."

Elizabeth took her left index finger and quickly stabbed it in his right eye with quite a bit of force and Lucky let out a scream, "Actually, you moronic toad, there's a high probability that Jason is the biological father of Cameron due to Helena's nefarious plans. So if he is he won't need to adopt his own child, but if it turns out that Cameron is fathered by someone else, Jason's already volunteered to adopt him. That's what a real man does. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to be able to recognize that quality, seeing as how you had no real male role models growing up,"

"You dirty bit…" Lucky screamed out but was cut off by Jason who had already stood up, worried about Elizabeth's exertions. Jason jabbed Lucky directly in his nose. Lucky let out scream in pain.

Elizabeth seemed out of breath.

Jason steadied Elizabeth, "Woe there, let me handle breaking the bastard. You have to calm down it's not good for you and the baby. I know he's hurt you and you deserve your revenge, but let me handle the physical stuff," Jason said as he lovingly whispered in her ear.

Jason directed Elizabeth to the chair, and turned it around, "Sit down Elizabeth and I will get you your answers," Jason said as he put gloves on his hands.

"What she's not tough enough to handle hitting me on her own. She needs you to do her dirty work Jason," Lucky spat.

Jason just chuckled, "On the contrary, Lucky. It's just the opposite. See there's nothing that Elizabeth can't do or learn if she so chooses. The truth is that she's tougher than all of us, her exterior just looks soft and gentle, but I know a secret about her…and since you're not going anywhere I'll share it with you."

"Yeah, right," Lucky said, "You're just besotted with her."

"And you're not?" Jason asked, "Tell me again why are going around town speaking to the dead, and telling people that you're going to get back with Elizabeth when it's clear that she doesn't want you?"

Lucky gave no response.

"Exactly, you're just as besotted with her as I am. I mean look at her. Have you ever seen anyone so perfect? I don't appreciate you breaking Elizabeth's heart over the last year Lucky, or putting your hands on her violently. A woman like my Elizabeth is to be cherished. I do however appreciate that when you did break her heart by sleeping with Maxie, she came to me so I could help put it back together. Thank you for that."

"Not a big deal. Patrick Drake had already been with her by that point."

Elizabeth was out of her seat again, "That is a slanderous lie Lucky, and you know it. I stepped out on you with Jason because I caught you with Maxie, on more than one occasion mind you. I don't have eyes for Patrick, and he only has eyes for Robin Scorpio. Once you betrayed me, I went to Jason to lean on a friend, and the feelings that we've held back on for years to spare yours' and other peoples feelings came out, and we made love...repeatedly as a result."

"Then why did he give you flowers that one time? Hmmm? Answer that if you're so innocent." Lucky demanded.

"Oh for Christ-sakes Lucky, as I already explained let's try this again. Pay attention simpleton here we go: Robin's mom Anna bought Robin a bouquet of flowers pretending to send them from Nik in order to make Patrick jealous. It worked. Patrick saw the flowers and was hurt. Robin and Patrick had words about him being a hound-dog. Out of jealousy, Patrick bought me flowers so that he could upset Robin. It was all a ruse, and if you'd bothered to stick around you would have heard about that, as I laid into Patrick for his thoughtless behavior where you and Robin were concerned, not to mention myself, because I'm no hussy and I can't be bought with flowers."

"What did you do with the flowers if you didn't want them?" Lucky asked so sure of himself, for a dead man.

"I gave them to an elderly patient, a man. He'd been in the hospital with no visitors and I thought that maybe it would bring him some cheer seeing as how his prognosis wasn't so good. You're so pathetic. I can't believe I wasted time worrying about you."

"I have to say Lucky, I don't like when people make up stories with the intent to hurt my gorgeous fiancé, especially while she's carrying my child," Jason said just to rub it in.

"Well, I'm really not interested in what you like Jason. Seeing as how I'm tied to a chair, and you've been banging my wife."

"Ex-wife and yes we enjoy banging each other as you put it. Your interests don't concern me. Now then answer Elizabeth's question. Why did you rape and murder her sister Sarah? If you answer her question I'll make your death swift."

Lucky ruminated over his options for a minute.

"Tick tock, Lucky. The clock's a-tickin'," Jason said so he would speed it up.

Lucky finally answered, "Fine, I murdered Sarah, in effort to scare Elizabeth into coming back to me. I hoped she would think it was Tom Baker. I thought she was lying to me about the paternity, but it turns out she really is a harlot, and fucked you. How did you like my sloppy seco…"Lucky said but didn't get to finish as Jason slammed him in the jaw with a well- aimed jab. Then cross-jabbed and jabbed Lucky in the abdomen, for about a minute.

"Watch what you say Lucky. There's nothing sloppy about Elizabeth and you know it. She's the epitome of perfection as far as I'm concerned. You and I both know that she is too good for the likes of both of us. To be allowed to touch her is a gift," Jason said, "besides that was only a partial admission of guilt, Lucky. Tell us the rest."

"I don't know what you mean," Lucky replied with a smirk.

"The rape you idiot. You raped Sarah too, and Jason, I'm not too good for you." Elizabeth said.

"Oh yeah…that. I had sex with your sister…again," Lucky replied.

"No, it wasn't sex this time. You raped her you pathetic piece of garbage. Athena, Eos heel," Elizabeth commanded as Athena and Eos came from around the corner to stand by her.

"Got yourself a couple of dogs I see. Is that supposed to scare me?" Lucky asked with petulance.

"The effect that they have on you about means literally nothing to me. Since you're big on calling me a bitch, I thought I'd introduce you to a couple of real ones," Elizabeth replied with a smile.

"Huh?" Lucky asked unsure.

"Lucky, meet Athena and Eos Female German Shepherds, female dogs are also known as bitches. Athena, Eos meet Lucky, a spineless, drug addicted, two-timing, rapist, murderer who won't be alive for very long."

"I don't get it."

"Jason why don't you undo Lucky's restraints?"

"Are you sure?" Jason asked.

"I'm positive," Elizabeth replied.

Jason undid Lucky's leg restraints first and then his hands.

"Jason come over towards me," Elizabeth replied.

"Lucky you're free to go," Elizabeth said.

"What?" Jason and Lucky said in unison.

"You're free to go," Elizabeth repeated, "That way out the back."

At that moment, Jason realized what was happening. There was no way out the back, but he kept that tidbit to himself.

Lucky started to turn and walk away, "I'll be back, Elizabeth. You'll regret this."

Elizabeth waited a few seconds before murmuring a "No, I won't." She turned and looked at Athena and Eos who waited with rapt attention. Pointing her finger at Lucky, Elizabeth commanded the two dogs, "Go forward," and they did.

Lucky turned to look and started running, which naturally caused the dogs to run faster too.

"Attack," Elizabeth ordered, and they did.

Eos was on him quickly, leaping into the air and biting viciously into Lucky's upper arm. Athena latched onto his calf muscle.

"Good, good! Now keep hold of him."

Athena and Eos wrangled Lucky to the dusty ground, as they tore into his flesh. Lucky lay on the ground thrashing and howling in agony. As he moved, Athena lost the grip on his leg and inadvertently moved to his balls, biting into his tender flesh without mercy.

At this point, Lucky was screaming, and the dogs were tearing into him with great force.

"Athena, Eos, release!" Elizabeth commanded.

The dogs did as instructed and made their way over to Elizabeth who was carefully walking towards them. Jason was unsure if they should go near Elizabeth considering how vicious their attack was, but his fears were soon belayed as they approached her with great care.

"Come here girls. Who's my good girls?" Elizabeth said as she pet both of them offering affection for a job well done. Elizabeth threw their treats off to the side of each of them, "Go get your treat," Elizabeth directed.

Elizabeth made her way to Lucky who hadn't moved, but was writhing and sweating, "Oh poor Lucky, trying to run away can be a real bitch," Elizabeth said pointing to her head in the other direction of her dogs, "or in your case, bitches."

"Don't be afraid to cry out Lucky. That must have hurt."

Lucky, was crying.

"Do you remember the movie ' _Hannibal'?"_ Elizabeth asked. As Jason walked up slowly to make sure Lucky kept his hands to himself.

Barely registering the question Lucky let out a meek "Yes."

"That's really good Lucky, because what's about to happen to you has been inspired by that movie. Interesting fact, the Italian mafia actually kills people by having pigs eat them to death on occasion. I'm sure the irony of your profession and you being eaten by swine isn't lost on you. While I've always found it distasteful to compare cops to barn yard animals, I have to say that you actually deserve the comparison and what's about to happen to you," Elizabeth said as she backed away.

"Jason you said you'd kill me quickly if I told you everything," Lucky screamed begging.

"I know, but you never copped to the rape, and to be completely honest, I lied."

"I know you can't lie," Lucky said, "Please put a bullet in me. Don't let her get away with this."

"Don't let her get away with this? Elizabeth is her own person, and I helped her plan this. Well that is to say that I helped her get you to this barn. Elizabeth is the mastermind, and she's doing well I might add. She's so creative! That's one of the many things I love about her."

"You're so sweet, Jason. For that compliment I'm going treat you later," Elizabeth replied and Jason blushed.

"You're so whipped," Lucky replied.

"And you're a dead man talking," Jason replied, "Babe let's step outside it's time for the barnyard brigade to feast."

"Bye Lucky, it wasn't nice knowing you. Come on Athena, Eos. Come here girls, let's go."

Elizabeth and Jason walked outside hand-in-hand, flanked on both sides by their beloved dogs.

"Don't leave. You can't do this to me," Lucky screamed as he tried to stand but fell, landing on his injured shoulder.

Lucky's pleas went ignored as Jason and Elizabeth along with the dogs exited one door and another door opened with the pigs being ushered inside.

The pigs smelled the blood and heard Lucky's screams and made quick work of tearing him apart. Lucky's screams intensified, but after the first two minutes no noise other than the grunting of the pigs could be heard from the barn.

"Thank you Jason for helping me eliminate one of mine and the kid's threats. Although, I'm not sure I will ever look at bacon or pork chops in the same light ever again."

"Anything for you. Give me a minute and I will confirm that he's gone. I don't want you seeing that."

"That's fine, I'll crate the dogs."

"Okay," Jason replied.

A few minutes later Jason returned and stated, "Dead as doornail."

"That's a relief. One down, the rest of the world to go."

"Us against the world. I like it."

"Me too," Elizabeth said with a smile as Jason started the SUV up, and Elizabeth took his hand in hers and kissed it.

"Johnny's coming back with us. Is that okay?"

"He's family as far as I'm concerned. I can't believe he's been alive this whole time. Where is he?" Elizabeth questioned as they started to drive off.

"Oh, he's following us in his rental. I'll explain his being alive later," Jason replied.

"Oh, Okay," Elizabeth replied.

"Athena and Eos were impressive. I like the idea of you and our children having that kind of protection at all times. It was also pretty hot the way you slapped Lucky around like that. Kitten's got claws! ME-OW"

"I didn't mean to let him get to me, but he acted as if Cameron was just some person that I shouldn't care about, but I do. And then there was the callous way he spoke about him, and Aurora for that matter. No one talks about my children like that and walks away unharmed."

"I know what you mean. I would have hit him too, but you were on a roll and I didn't want to steal your moment."


	24. Chapter 24

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, Bridget Jones' Diary or anything else.

I'm sorry that it's taken so long to post another chapter. With the holidays and work I've been incredibly busy. Thank you for your patience and understanding. The next few chapters are going to really start to pick up so I hope all of you will stick with me.

Chapter 24.) Sunrise/Sunset

Early Morning Hours- Wednesday Port Charles, NY

From the angle of his office he could barely take in the snippets of the setting sun from his well-appointed window. There was still a slight chill in the evening air as it was barely spring. The rooms of his not so humble abode were drafty, which is why the fire remained lit three seasons of the year. His only child lay asleep in the other room. A room fit for a prince. As the man sat back in his desk chair, he appraised a picture of the woman who had held his heart for the last few years. Touching her picture gently, brought a small smile to his roughish face. His other hand lifted the glass to his mouth, taking an aristocratic sip, the vodka leaving a familiar burning sensation.

"Hmmm,-" He tried clearing his throat.

The choking sensation wouldn't alleviate as he tried clearing his throat yet again, but to no avail.

"Hmmm….." he tried yet again but felt no relief.

Realizing that something was genuinely wrong he loosened his tie with haste and unbuttoned his top dress shirt button, but the tightness didn't subside. He stood up in an attempt to make his way to the door.

"Alfred," he wheezed out, but his voice wouldn't carry.

"Alfr-, hmmm," he tried yet again to get out. His vision was starting to blur.

Lack of oxygen, caused him to collapse to the ground, over him came the ominous smiling visage of someone he thought dead.

"Alfred can't hear you. He's lying dead in the kitchen," the woman said in a sing song voice.

All Nik could do was wheeze, as he started to spasm.

"Don't try to fight it Nikolas," the female voice whispered above him, "Just breathe deeply. What's that? Oh, you can't. Poor baby, must be something you drank."

The woman walked over to his computer which was up and running. Thankfully, for her she had chosen to wear gloves. Accessing the contact for Lulu she clicked the feature that allowed for composition and began to write, bearing in mind that she need to make this sound as if Nikolas had written it, but not too formal because it was for his sister. She checked the previous emails he sent, and looked at how he addressed his sister and

 ** _Dearest Lulu_** ,

 ** _As you're well aware, I've recently taken ill and have left Wyndemere with Spencer to pursue a different avenue for my migraines that some would say is radical form of treatment. I will contact you via email to let you know how I'm doing, as excessive talking and noise only seems to exacerbate the tension in my head. Please send word of how you're fairing. I will check my email with some regularity, and of course, I will miss getting to visit with you._**

 ** _Your Loving Brother,_**

 ** _Nik_**

As Nikolas lay in throws of death, the woman walked to the other room, where the other young prince lay sleeping. Grabbing the young boy, the woman made a quick escape out the back corridor, creeping off into the night.

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Cortona, Italy – Il Mio Vento Villa

"Holy cow, Liz? Is this the house that time forgot? I see your going for the rustic look."

"Hardy Har Har, O'Brien," Liz said as she made her way to the door, "Are you just going to stand outside and gape at it or do you need a written invitation?"

"Be still my heart, the lass still has bite," Johnny said looking over at Jason who was walking up behind Elizabeth.

"Her bite is more severe than that you can rest assured," Jason said elbowing his old friend.

"If you two are finished laughing at my expense we can go into the Villa?" Liz laughed back.

"I don't know. I still haven't gotten my hug yet, Webber," Johnny replied extending his arms outward.

Liz stepped forward into her old friend's embrace.

"I'm so happy you're alive. I knew you didn't do it. I knew you didn't betray Sonny and Jason."

"Well it was kind of the plan to make it look as though I was guiltier than sin. It was a ruse to confuse the enemy."

"I'm so happy that you're here and that you brought Lucky to atone for all the despicable things he's done. I don't know how I will ever repay you."

"Seeing you happy and healthy is payment enough. Plus, Jason is my boss, so I'm paid plenty," Johnny said taking a step away and looking at the young pregnant mother, "My, my, my I must say time has been far kinder to you than it has been to me. How is it more possible that you get more beautiful every time you see me?"

"I think time really has gotten to you Johnny. Your vision must be fading fast. Have you seen me? I'm the size of sea cow," Elizabeth replied in a self-deprecating jest. Jason grimaced at her comment.

"Don't talk about yourself like that Elizabeth. You're the most beautiful woman in the world, and you don't look like a sea cow," Jason replied crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head.

"There's nothing wrong with my vision. Not to mention, maybe it's just the Irish in me and all, but I don't think there's a prettier time in a woman's life than when she's expecting. You have a glow about you. Jason is an incredibly lucky man," Johnny said.

"That I am," Jason spoke up as he walked up next to Elizabeth and hugged her gently, "I'm going to bring Athena and Eos in from the vehicle. Why don't you show Johnny around the first floor, and then maybe you'll consider resting?"

"Okay," Elizabeth said pecking Jason on the lips.

"Great," Jason said in reply.

"If you think I'm a sight to see wait 'til you see Emily. She's so beautiful," Elizabeth said as she opened the doors, "We're back, Emily, Francis?"

Emily peeked her head around the corner, "Hey Liz, who did you bring with you? Is that Johnny O'Brien?

"In the flesh," Johnny walked toward Emily opening an arm for a hug, "Well didn't you turn out beautiful? I knew you would. You were right, Liz. Emily is so beautiful."

"I try," Emily said.

"You don't have to try you just are. I heard you're a doctor now, and you're a nurse Elizabeth," Johnny said looking at the pair of them.

"I'm a resident, and Elizabeth was our favorite OR nurse," Emily replied.

"I quit, because everyone wants me dead apparently, and it was easier to stay alive by not being at the hospital where I was an easy target."

"Yeah I've heard a bit about that. I'm sorry that all this has happened to you Elizabeth," Johnny said as he turned to look at her, "No one deserves to lose their family the way that you have."

"Thank you, Johnny, but I'm still strong in family. I have the children, Jason, Emily and you and Francis of course. I'm so fortunate."

"Ah, Elizabeth I'm touched that you would consider me family."

"What else would I consider someone who's looked out for me in the past, and who looks out for me now and my future husband. You can't put a price on that, and that's what makes you family in my book."

"Well said, Elizabeth," Johnny replied.

Jason walked in at that moment with Eos and Athena in tow.

"Did he get the grand tour?" Jason asked.

"Nope, we made it as far as foyer, because we got caught up in conversation," Elizabeth replied.

Emily took a moment to speak, "Ares and Apollo, have been outside and put through their paces. Cameron and Aurora helped me. Atlas has been outside and Francis worked with him. Francis is laying down right now and so are the children."

"Emily, you're the best you know that!" Elizabeth exclaimed with great enthusiasm.

"I am, aren't I?" Emily replied back in jest.

"Absolutely," Jason chimed in. Giving his sister a hug.

"Were the kids any trouble?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not at all. They were perfect, as expected since they're yours," Emily said with mirth.

"If they're mine then it should have been hell on earth. Well judging from my childhood," Elizabeth replied.

"So was this morning a hit?" Emily asked Jason and Elizabeth.

"Luckily, enough everything went off without a bang," Jason replied.

"Good," Emily said making peace with the situation. Elizabeth was right, Lucky wasn't the same boy that she grew up with. Faison and Helena murdered him and he never came back the same.

"Let me give you a tour Johnny. Then we'll discuss business," Jason said.

"Sure, I would love the tour," Johnny said in return as he followed behind Jason.

"I'm thirsty Em, you want something to drink? I need a drink before I take a nap. I just don't have as much energy as I used to." Elizabeth asked.

"Sure. I'm tired as well."

"After this you want to come take a nap with me? My iPad has Netflix on it. We could watch a _Bridget Jones_ as we try to nap."

"Now we're talking," Emily said, "A girl after my own heart."

Elizabeth set about pouring both of them some water.

After a couple minutes of silence Elizabeth extended a hug to Emily. Both women embraced needing a moment to grieve for the boy that never came back the same way, "Let's go upstairs and get comfy. I think we both could rest, and at least we'll get a laugh out of _Bridget_ ," Elizabeth said trying to comfort her friend.

As the ladies made their way up the stairs the gentlemen were coming down. Elizabeth stopped in front of Jason. "We're going to get comfy in bed and watch a movie. Maybe we'll even nap."

"That's great. I don't want either of you overdoing it. Get a much rest as you can. The guys and I are going to be discussing plans for the next couple of months barring no changes. I just checked on the kids and they're still out."

"That's fine we'll handle them if they wake up. You go take care of business Mr. Morgan."

"I will Mrs. Morgan-to-be."

"I'm going to need insulin at this rate if you two don't stop being so sweet," Emily said watching the two.

Jason kissed Elizabeth on the lips and made his way down the stairs, and stopped to kiss Emily on the cheek. "Love you too, Em."

"Love you, Jase," Emily said with a smirk. She was so happy for her brother. She'd never seen him like this.

Jason continued on his way as he met the guys in the kitchen. Jason, Francis and Johnny each grabbed a cup of coffee and then gathered around the quaint kitchen table.

Setting his phone down, Jason called Sonny on his new disposable cell phone. After two rings, Sonny answered.

"Hey man," Sonny said knowing that it would be Jason.

"Hey. I'm sitting at the table with our Lt's. Why don't you fill us in on what going on in PC."

"Okay, well. I have it on good authority that Luke turned up at the Quartermaine Estate this weekend. Apparently, he's been off antagonizing Helena, and before you ask I have no idea where she's hiding. As of yesterday, she was on the peer talking to Ric, and well you know the rest."

"Any truth behind the allegations that Courtney and Ric were married at some point circa 2003?"

"Spinelli, did some digging. By the way, this kid is crazy did you know that?"

"Yeah, Spinelli's a little unusual," Jason replied, "Getting back on topic-"

"Anyway, it appears that my brother came upon my sister at a strip club of all places in Atlantic City. I swear how I'm saying this sounds like an episode of _Jerry Springer._ He searched her out. They were actually married in the fall of 2000, before my sister made an appearance in PC. Courtney apparently perpetrated some petty crimes before my brother reached out to her."

"When did they get divorced?" Johnny asked.

"That's just the thing, Johnny. There's no paperwork anywhere that suggests that she did," Sonny replied.

"That's crazy, so was she even really in love with any of us, I mean not just me but AJ, Jax, and Nik? Was this all some sort of act?"

"I doubt that she was in love with anyone. She was after money and power."

"God, all the time wasted on Courtney and Sam, when I should've been with Elizabeth. Speaking of which Sonny, do we have any additional information regarding Cameron's conception?"

"What's wrong with Cameron's conception? I thought he was Zander's kid," Johnny asked confused.

"It appears that Cameron may be mine," Jason replied, "Elizabeth may have been artificially inseminated by with my DNA. The plan entailed Courtney and Ric stealing him and raising him without me ever knowing. I think they were going to murder Elizabeth in the process."

"Our reports indicate, that there was a time that Zander trained to be an EMT, before he came to PC and his life turned to shit. It's possible that he would have enough anatomical training to perhaps pull something like this off," Sonny supplied, "Again this is all just speculation."

"Yeah, but where would he have gotten the idea or the equipment. As far as I know, Zander and Ric weren't really on the best of terms," Jason said.

"No, but we're forgetting one major bitch in the process, who was close to both," Francis added.

"And who's that?" Johnny asked.

"One very dead Faith Roscoe. She was fucking Ric, and hated Elizabeth with a fiery passion if you recall, and Zander was on her payroll," Francis clarified.

"And that right there is why we pay you the big bucks," Sonny said.

"Naturally," Francis quipped while Jason and Johnny just smirked at him. Francis looked at them and said, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

All three men laughed.

"On Friday, I'm taking Elizabeth and Cameron to a local clinic here in town and having his DNA run against mine. Francis and the dogs are staying with Em and Aurora."

"The dogs?" asked Sonny.

"Yeah, Elizabeth purchased 5 absolutely ferocious German Shepherds all military grade. She even bought one specifically for me."

"That's nice. I guess she's taking security fairly seriously?" Sonny questioned.

"Yeah, she's changed a lot, but I suppose having most of your family slaughtered would alter your perspective on the matter of safety."

"I don't doubt it. If she needs anything let her know that I'm more than happy to help take care of anything here in town on her behalf," Sonny added.

"Thanks, I will let her know. I'm sure there will come a time. Ric is someone that I'm going to eventually need your clearance to handle. He's a threat to everyone we hold dear."

"I know, and you have my clearance when you return to handle it how you see best to handle it," Sonny replied with melancholy remembering his mother.

"You have any other information regarding Sam and Ric and their new alliance?" Jason asked.

"As far as I know there just bedfellows, but I'm sure he's pressing her to join team Ric." Sonny explained.

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Upstairs….

Two pregnant friends were laughing hysterically as they watched a funny scene from _Bridget Jones' Diary_ playout before them.

"Bridget really is a terrible public speaker," Em said.

"I feel uncomfortable just watching her," Elizabeth said in reply.

"You know what I miss," Em said.

"What's that?" Liz said laying on her side looking at her best friend who was mirroring the same position back to her.

"I miss girl's night out!" Em explained.

"That was a lot of fun. Do you..." Elizabeth started to laugh but finally got herself under control enough to finish her sentence, "Do you remember when Kelly came and blabbered all about how she found Robin and Patrick in the utility closet together?"

"Oh my God, Yes! The look on Robin's face though. It was priceless. The best part was when Patrick showed up and took her on a date."

"Yeah, they'd make a great couple," Elizabeth said, "If Patrick would just admit how much he loves Robin."

"I know. He's so pigheaded, but he is awfully cute. Dr. Hottie, there's something about him," Em stated.

"He does have an animal magnetism that most women can't seem to ignore," Elizabeth said wistfully while thinking of Jason who had an altogether different form of animal magnetism.

"You managed to well enough," Em said.

"Don't get me wrong, he's good looking. He just wasn't my type. All that ego. For someone like myself that's so off-putting, at least romantically. I mean I know that as a surgeon you need a lot of gumption and ego to remain steady and certain," Elizabeth paused before continuing, "It just doesn't interest me."

"Yeah, I suppose you like the strong and silent type that seems to give you a lot of eye sex!" Em said before she burst out laughing.

"Emily Quartermaine, are you teasing me about the eye sex that your brother and I have, would you like to hear the details of the actual sex we have?"

"Lord no!" Exclaimed, "I don't think my sensitive ears can handle it."

"Then stop teasing me, Em!" Liz said with a smile, "Speaking of great eye sex, how were things with Nik, aside from the migraines and whatnot? I mean it looked like through the whole hostage crisis Nik really had your back. Are you two in a really great place?"

"Aside from what we think Craig did to him, yeah, I think that Nik and I will be able to weather any storm. Especially, now that hurricane Courtney has past and Nik and I have had time to rebuild our relationship."

"I know that was a really hard couple of years for you, Em. I'm glad you two are in a better place."

"Me too, and now that we have this one on the way, and Spencer too. Our world will be great, so long as Helena and Tom Baker are stopped."

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Port Charles- Wednesday evening 7:00 PM

There was a knock at the door, and reluctantly she went to answer the door.

Opening the door she realized who she was dealing with, "Can't you take a hint. I needed a couple of nights off Ric."

Ric walked in and Sam shut the door behind him, "Don't worry Sam, I'm not here for a booty call unless you're offering. I'm here because I found a way you could be helpful with your plan to ruin Elizabeth's joy."

"I'm all ears Ric," Sam said in return.

"I wouldn't sell yourself short Sam. You have a decent rack too!"

"Don't you ever grow tired of all your sexual comments and innuendos?" Sam asked exasperated at this point.

"Innuendos? Kind of big word for you, Sam. And to answer your question not really. Do you?" Ric asked.

Sam let out a breath, "Just…Just what do you want?"

"Do you still have a key to Jason's Penthouse?"

"You know I do, Ric."

"Good, I need you to plant this gun in his desk or wherever he keeps his firearms."

"I take it something bad happened with this gun?" Sam asked

"It's better that you don't ask questions and please be sure to wear gloves when handling it, and not something necessarily bad for us depending on how we go about handling this."

"I'll make sure that I'll wear gloves," Sam answered in snide response.

"Atta girl. Now are you up for the old usual?"

"Do you promise to leave right after?" Sam asked.

"Why the hell would I want to stay in your company beyond the sex Sam? Now what do you say?"

"Fine, but when you're done I need you to get the fuck out."

"Fine," said Ric while unbuttoning his shirt, and pants.

Sam slid out of her night shirt, and took off her underwear.

"Let me look at that fine body of yours," Ric said.


	25. Chapter 25

I just want to thank my loyal reviewers. Some of you are on to me! I hope you enjoy!

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

Chapter 25.) What Dreams May Come

Wednesday Evening –Cortona, Italy

After concluding their meeting Jason, Johnny and Francis made three homemade pizzas and a fresh garden salad for dinner. Once completed Jason and Johnny went upstairs and collected the kids from their nap. Both children were resting in Cameron's room. The furniture looked great, and suited the young boy's tastes. It was something that he could definitely grow with. Both children were whispering to each other and playing with their stuffed animals.

Jason peeked his head in and the children looked his direction, "Hey, what are you two up to?"

"We're just pwaying Uncle Jason," Aurora said.

"What smells yummy, Daddy?" Jason smiled at that still taken so aback when he heard Cameron call him that.

"We made pizza, buddy. Are you two hungry?"

"I sure am," said Aurora.

"Let's go Aurora!" Cameron encouraged but looked at Jason's suddenly stern look while placing his hand gently on Aurora's head, "We won't run daddy."

"Good. I'll meet you two in the kitchen," Jason said letting go of Aurora so the children could make their way down the stairs.

Johnny was laughing to himself in the hallway as he observed Emily and Elizabeth asleep in the bed. Both of ladies lay haphazardly across the bed. Emily's mouth was open and she was currently drooling on herself while her right arm lay across the upper part of her face. Elizabeth was letting out a light snore, while her head lay in the crook of her arm, while she lay on her side and her growing belly lay propped up on a pillow. They were adorable.

"What's got you laughing so hard?" Jason asked.

"Just look in there and you tell me," Johnny replied.

Jason peeked his head into his bedroom and started laughing at the sight too. Gently, he walked over to Elizabeth and stroked her face lovingly.

"Mmmm…oh Jason…"Elizabeth said while she slept.

"Jesus," said Johnny, "That was practically X-rated."

That moan had Jason's mind right in the gutter, and a certain member called to action. 'Down boy,' he thought with embarrassment. He'd never had this problem before. Jason let out a small chuckle, "Shut it Johnny. Come on, Elizabeth. You and the baby need to eat. You can come back up and rest when you're finished eating."

"No," Elizabeth said in an unconscious pout, "Not there Jason, but there".

Jason immediately blushed, "Elizabeth, I'm going to tickle you if you don't get up," Jason said in a mocking stern voice, "You and the baby need nourishment."

"Mmmm…tickle me, Jason," Elizabeth said, "You know how I like to be tickled."

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…I need to get out of this room," said Johnny.

Hearing this caused Jason to blush further. He'd never had this predicament before. Elizabeth was subconsciously giving herself to him. Giving her a light shake Jason continued his efforts. "Shhh…Elizabeth. You need to wake up."

Startled at the light command, "Huh? Have you been talking to me this whole time?" Elizabeth asked mortified at what she'd been dreaming about possibly being stated out loud. She wiped her face to make sure no drool was present and looked at Jason emitting a deep blush.

"I just came in here a minute ago. Why are you so embarrassed?" Jason asked knowing why she looked mortified.

"I just don't want you to see me looking so ugly," That's all.

"Such a thing is an impossibility where you are concerned. You could never look ugly, my beautiful Elizabeth," Jason said back while he moved a lock of her Elizabeth's hair from her face.

"You're just saying that so you can seduce me later," Elizabeth replied.

"Absolutely not, but if you're feeling up to it. I'm always happy to oblige." Jason said giving her a sexy smirk.

"NO, No!" Emily said wiping the drool from her face, "You two are not having this talk while I'm here. Come on. Really?"

"Sorry Emily," Elizabeth said.

"Sorry Em, Elizabeth has that effect on me," Jason said leaning down and kissing Elizabeth on the lips.

"I don't want to hear this….la la la la," said Emily as she stuck her fingers in her ears hoping to drown out whatever innuendos they were exchanging.

Jason stopped his oral plunder of Elizabeth's full lips, and said, "Dinner's ready, Em!"

"Huh, I can't hear YOUUU," Emily said in a sing song voice as she squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to mock the fake feelings of disgust at seeing her brother be all mushy with her best friend.

"He said that dinner's ready, Em," Elizabeth said raising her voice so that Emily would hear her.

"You two need to get up and feed yourselves and those babies," Jason said playfully admonishing them.

"Ay, Ay Captain," Emily replied while completing a mocking salute.

"Come on Em, before Jason uses his killer stare to ensnare us to his will." Liz said urging her best friend to follow her.

"Oh alright, but I'll have you know, I'm only going because I'm hungry not because you told me to Jason. I'll meet you down there in a minute. I have to go to the bathroom," Emily stated while playfully sticking out her tongue at her brother.

"Watch it Em, I might just pull your tongue out if you keep that up."

"I'd like to see you try Jase. You don't have the courage."

"Is that a challenge Emily Quartermaine?"

"Oh would you two quit already?" asked Elizabeth playfully.

"Just hurry up, Em. We'll wait for you," Jason said shaking his head grateful for the moments of levity that Emily and Elizabeth brought him, since he was so rarely afforded a real opportunity laugh.

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Thursday evening –Port Charles

Peering in from the stairwell she had an excellent view of the unmanned door to the Penthouse. The wall mounted camera was slowly scanning the area of the corridor. As the camera scanned to the right, she quickly made her way down the hall. As the camera scanned its way down the middle the subject made her way beneath the camera knowing that she couldn't be seen from this angle. As the camera made its way to the left, she made her way to Penthouse four. Slipping the key in she was shocked to find that it no longer worked. 'Damn," she thought. She would have to pick the lock, but she didn't have time, realizing that the camera was starting to scan back in her direction. "This is going to require a new plan of action," said Sam disappointedly to herself, as she carefully made her way back down the hall in a manner that she thought went undetected.

As she made her way down the stairwell, Sam started thinking of a new plan. As she reached the parking lot, she managed to stay out of the way of the cameras that that were positioned around the exits and made her way onto the sidewalk.

Dialing her phone, Sam reached out to Ric on the only number she had for him, "Did you complete your task?"

"He changed the damn locks. I can pick it but I need time. I have a plan though. It's just going to be tomorrow before I can execute it."

"Fine. I will wait to follow through with my part of the plan. Let me know when you've completed your part of the mission so that I may proceed," Ric said before hanging up the phone.

'That insufferable shit of a man,' thought Sam. Making her way to the nearest convenient store, Sam decided to pull up the hood on her jacket in an effort to conceal herself on the video cameras around the store. She made her way down the medicinal aisle procuring the item that she needed, and went to the cashier to pay.

As nightfall began taking place, Sam was aware that there was a shift change with the guards at The Towers, and that now would be a perfect opportunity to sneak back over and break in and plant the gun.

After 20 minutes, Sam made it back up the stairs and hid outside the security office. Peaking in through the glass partition she noticed that none of Jason's security staff were monitoring the screens. Opening the unlocked door, Sam snuck in and was pleased to see a new pot of coffee freshly brewed. Pulling out the sleeping aid, she stirred in the contents, and waited underneath an unused desk, that concealed her. Eventually, Ritchie who was just coming on duty opened the door with relative ease, started shaking his head. Peaking his head around the corner, he caught Milo Giambetti before he left, "Dude, don't leave the door unlocked. That's how mistakes happen."

"Oh, I'm sorry man, I forgot to tell you. The lock on that door isn't working. I put a call into Cody earlier, and maintenance was supposed to come by and fix it, but they haven't made it here yet."

"Good to know. I will follow up," Ritchie said, "Oh and thanks for brewing that pot of coffee."

"No big deal! I'll see you tomorrow," Milo said.

"See ya man!" said Ritchie in return.

One hour later, and Ritchie's head lay flat on the desk. Sam realizing that he passed out made her way out of the office, and down the corridor, avoiding the scanning cameras as she made her way down to Penthouse four.

Being mindful of the cameras, Sam quickly picked the lock and broke into the penthouse. Walking over to the coat closet near the door, she withdrew the firearm and placed it behind the small gun safe that Jason kept in that closet. If she had more time she'd be tempted to break some of the stuff in Jason's penthouse, but she didn't have the time, and she doubted he would even care, 'Dump me for her.' Opening the door slightly, Sam slipped out her pocket mirror to gauge the cameras and then locked the bottom lock. Timing the cameras right, Sam quietly shut the door, and made her way down the hallway, once again assuming that she had made it out undetected.

Twenty minutes later, Sam dialed the number from before and the other line picked up, "It's done," she said.

"Good, you know what to do next."

Using a disposable phone, Sam dialed the number, and used a fake southern accent, "Hi yes, is this Crime Elim-in-a-tors? I know who killed Loren-Zo Alca-zarr. His name is Jay-Son Mor-Gan and he keeps the gun at his apartment thangy on the top floor. I saw'll him take it there. Keeps it in his closet." She said hanging up the phone. Hopefully that would be enough for him to get a warrant.

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Cortona, Italy- Edge of Il Mio Vento- After Dinner Thursday Evening.

Jason and Elizabeth were coming back from town after dinner. They had decided to stop in and make an appointment for the next day so that Cameron could have his DNA run against Jason. On the way back things had gotten out of hand when Elizabeth decided to start heavily petting Jason. Completely aroused, he pulled over before he crashed as Elizabeth moved the elbow rests up and unleashed his swollen member gliding her hand back and forth, Elizabeth worked him into a frenzy, as she carefully leaned over his lap and began to love him with her mouth. Jason was in ecstasy as his head flung back and his hands gripped her hair, while he slowly pumped into her mouth.

"Mmmm…" Jason grunted as he bit his lip trying to keep from crying out at how good it felt. Slowly rising up, Elizabeth carefully shifted over moving his seat back once she was sitting on his lap facing him. Moving her skirt up, she shifted her underwear slightly, and sheathed him inside of her, while slowly starting to ride him. As the pressure built up, Jason couldn't take it anymore as he ripped her shirt open and devoured her full breasts.

Arching back in satisfaction, Elizabeth grunted, "Oh Jason," as they both started to pick up speed. "Jason you fill me up so good…so so good. Harder!"

"You're so tight," he replied as he plowed up into her.

"Jason, I'm…I'm," Elizabeth said as the words died in her mouth, no longer able to speak but she didn't have to because he could feel her walls milking him to a strong finish.

"You ready, I'm about to go, and it's all for you…" Jason said in turn, as he finished kissing her while nipping her lips as sweat dripped down his forehead.

"Jason I know I've said this before, but I don't know how we went so long apart."

"Me either, but I'm happy we won't have find out. Now, when can I make you Mrs. Morgan? I don't want to rush you, but I feel like if we don't make this happen something will come up, and I want us together. I want you to be mine. I've wanted you to be mine since I left you after the first time I was shot. I wanted you to be mine every time I came back to town. I wanted you to be mine at Emily's wedding to Cassadine. I wanted you to be mine when you visited me in the interrogation room last year when you were warning about playing it safe and letting Em and Sonny find their own way."

"I felt it too! It never left Jason."

"I know this was wrong, but if I'm being honest with myself I was scared to death when I heard Manny had you. I knew you weren't technically mine to protect, but I couldn't help it when it comes to you. My love for you is an addiction that I don't want a cure for, and when Manny had you I had to get to you. It didn't matter how much time we've spent apart. You're it for me. It's true that I've cared for others and have been scared for others, but the problem is that while I would be sad to have something happen to Courtney, Sam or even Robin, if something were to happen to you it would be the one thing that I can't survive. All my instincts tell me to protect you from a distance, and at the same time I can't bear to stay away from you."

"Wow, Jason. You have to know that I'm already yours. I love you so much. Not being with you has allowed me to make some rather horrible marital decisions. Ric and Lucky were voids I was just trying to fill in a spot meant only for you. As for our wedding, I don't need anything formal, you're all the special that I need. That I've always needed. I just want to love you Jason. We've wasted so much time worrying about everyone else that neither one of us was truly ready until now. Now that I know what I have to lose I don't want to wait either. How about Saturday?"

"Are you sure that soon?" Jason asked barely able to contain his breath.

"Wow, now you're suddenly unsure?" Asked Elizabeth playfully as she gave him a bashful grin.

"No, my beautiful angel, when it comes to you I've never been unsure. Just scared. My feelings about you have always been clear. Saturday, it is then." Jason said kissing her and starting to feel a familiar stirring.

"Saturday," Elizabeth said nipping Jason's lower lip, and giving him a view of half-lidded eyes, "Ready for round two I see."

Jason leaned forward and gripped her hips as they began again.

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Cortona, Italy Friday Morning

Jason, Elizabeth and Cameron made their way to the clinic to get the DNA testing underway. Elizabeth was nervous, but Jason reassured her that no matter what as far as he was concerned Aurora and Cameron were his children to love and protect and nothing would get in the way of that.

Feeling better Elizabeth went into register the three of them under their assumed names, and took a seat. "Edward Cerio, Imogene Cerio, and Steven Cerio, please a-step-a- to the back.

Once in the back the buccal swabs were taken, and they were instructed that they would receive notice from the lab which was in that province, in about a week when the results came in for them to pick up. Jason gave them his disposable cell number and the information was forwarded.

Once they were in the car Cameron asked, "Mommy why did we play the funny name game again?"

Elizabeth looked at Jason and then answered the best she could, "Well sweetie, Mommy and Daddy like to play hide and seek with some of the people from Port Charles, because not everyone there plays nicely. Does that make sense?"

"Ummmm," was all Cameron responded back scratching his head somewhat confused.

"Remember when mommy told you and Aurora about the mean lady that hurt Uncle Steve and Grams?"

"Yeah, I member."

"Well we're still hiding from her, so it's important that people don't know our real names or she might win the hide and seek game and she's a spoil sport. She doesn't like to play fair," Elizabeth looked at Jason for reassurance, and he shook his head giving her what she needed. He was an honest person by nature and felt that this was the most honest way to deal with this situation. He certainly didn't want his kids scared, but if they could get the kids to play along until Jason's team found Helena and Tom Baker, then turning this situation into a bit of a game or an adventure would be good enough for him. Taking Elizabeth's hand in his to reassure her that he was with her on this. It felt good, working as a parental unit for their son. Next week they would find out what he what he knew deep down, Cameron was his little boy. A dream come true.


	26. Chapter 26

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

Chapter 26.) Regrets and the Games Others Play

Friday around noon- Florence, Italy – U.S. Consulate

Jason, Elizabeth, Aurora and Cameron arrived at the U.S. Consulate Office to present their papers and fill out the _nulla osta_ form, which indicated that both of them were not married. For Jason he'd never been calmer. 'This is the most right I've ever felt. I can't believe my dreams… _My DREAMS_ are coming true. How did I get so fortunate?'

Elizabeth, was never surer of Jason's love for her, but putting her name out there for Helena to find was nerve-wracking. She worked so hard for them to remain anonymous and here this government agency was asking her to give away her name and location.

"Jason," Elizabeth whispered.

"Yeah," he whispered back noticing how nervous she was.

"They want our real names and our address. Any advice?"

"It's fine. Use your real name since we want our marriage to be legal, but put down this address," Jason said pulling out a sheet of paper with a different address on it.

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked.

"Absolutely. It's a decommissioned safe house that I purchased the other day from Maximus Giambetti," Jason replied.

"Okay. Gee, you've sure given this a lot of forethought. Thank God for that," Elizabeth replied.

"Of course I have. I've only been planning on marrying you since I left your studio back in '99." Jason explained.

"Really? And you said you have a hard time with your imagination."

"It's not hard for me to imagine a future when you're involved. You're every dream I've ever had."

"Oh you are good," Elizabeth replied as she finished filling out the paperwork with a huge smile on her face. As Elizabeth started to stand up, Jason stopped her and took the paperwork up. Then came back and sat back down, "Thanks for taking that up."

"Don't think I haven't noticed how swollen your little ankles have become. You need to put your legs up when we get back," Jason instructed.

"When did you get so bossy?" Elizabeth asked.

"Hey that's my line, for all the times that you've had to save me. You're carrying our child. If I have to tie you down, I will," Jason whispered.

"That sounds like it could be fun," Elizabeth answered back while wiggling her eyebrows and bursting out laughing. Jason just shook his head and smiled at her antics. After waiting for about 20 minutes, the couple was called back.

"Mr. Morgan, Ms. Spencer, Please come in and sit down. My name is Maria Gespova. I understand that the two of you wish to wed."

"That's right we do," Jason answered.

"You both attest to and have paperwork that shows you're divorced."

"Yes," Jason and Elizabeth answered in unison.

"Great, all of your paperwork checks out. So, congratulations. You've been approved. "

"Jason, we've been approved!"

"I know. I can't believe it myself, Elizabeth." Jason said as he reached over and grabbed her face for a kiss. When the couple finished kissing they stood and made their way over to the kids.

Cameron and Aurora were watching a newly downloaded movie from Disney.

"Ready to head back?" Jason asked

"I am. I can't wait to be Mrs. Jason Morgan."

"I can't wait for that either," Jason said. "Hey kiddos, ready to head back? We have a lot to do before tomorrow."

"Yes, Uncle Jason," Aurora replied slowly standing up.

"Yes, Daddy," Cameron carefully handing back the iPAD.

"Let's go then," taking the device from Cameron, and taking his hand while Aurora took Elizabeth's hand.

As Jason was driving back, he drove past the province where they lived taking the highway down to the coast. Elizabeth hadn't noticed because she was asleep, as were the munchkins in the back. Growing a baby seemed to be exhausting Jason observed to himself casually looking over at Elizabeth. 'How in the world did she think that she would have the energy to do all of this on her own? His Elizabeth was so desperate to keep the children (all of them) safe that she probably hadn't given any thought to how taxing having a baby while caring for two toddlers was going to be. Yet, she did an amazing job of it. She was so caring, gentle, imaginative, smart, sexy, beyond beautiful, fierce and tomorrow she would be all his, legally. He was one lucky bastard.'

As he continued to drive up to the coast his mind wandered in thought. Eventually, he rolled up to the villa that he rented for the ceremony tomorrow. He parked the car and looked at the sleeping beauty next to him, then checked his children in the back through his rearview mirror. He'd taken the liberty of organizing the wedding on a gazebo, at sunset for the following day. He had Emily help him find beautiful dresses for her, Elizabeth, and Aurora. He wanted Elizabeth pampered, and to know that she was loved. Not because of the baby but because she was literally his everything. In his basest form, she was his woman, and his woman would want for nothing and never have to suffer. Well at least not anymore if he could help it. There was no woman that came and left his life that compared to how he felt for her. It took her fleeing in terror to make him realize what he almost lost and what he'd been willing to settle for in tying himself to Sonny's sloppy seconds, to coin Lucky's phrase and use it on a more appropriate example. He'd come home and left many times, sometimes declaring that he wouldn't be back, but Elizabeth was a constant in his life, even in the background. A world without Elizabeth in it would be an awful experience, a nightmare if he were able to truly have any. Sam was just a fill-in for what he couldn't have, or at least that's what he'd been thinking. ' _Sam,_ what a waste of time.' Looking over at Elizabeth, he couldn't figure out what he ever saw in Sam. Bonding over the death of child, was one thing. 'How could I push Elizabeth to the periphery of my life? I should've fought for her, like the princess she is. Elizabeth had always been generous with him. Protecting him when he couldn't protect himself, nurturing him back to health, listening without judgement, loving him without expectation. Why had it taken me so long to see it? She's always loved me, and I was too foolish to see it. If I had just found the words I could've been in her life years ago, and there it was: _regret_. It appeared he suffered from it too where she was concerned. I guess, when you grow up as neglected as she's been you learn not to expect too much from others, that way you can't get hurt too badly, and yet Elizabeth wasn't hardened. She was gentle and kind to those around her, even those who least deserved it, even him. Looking over at her sleeping form he thought, 'I swear to you Elizabeth you're everything I have ever wanted, my ideal, and my angel. I will spend every day of our lives proving it to you.' He gently reached over and stroked her face.

"Elizabeth, wake up. Sweetie, we're here."

Shifting her head into his palm, she was started to emerge from her slumber, "Hmmmm…we're here?"

"Yeah babe. We are," Jason said.

Slowly Elizabeth opened her eyes, "I'm sorry Jason. Some help I am, here I am supposed to be keeping you company on the ride home and I fall asleep on you."

"Elizabeth, you being in my general vicinity is an automatic comfort and company, and like I've told you before you're always helpful. You have our baby growing inside of you. That's exhausting work."

"You're so good to me, Jason. How'd I get so lucky?"

"I feel like the lucky one, that what I was just thinking to myself the entire drive here," Jason replied.

Elizabeth was looking around outside and happened to notice that they weren't at home, "Jason, where are we?" she said with a slight smile.

"This is my wedding surprise. We aren't getting married at Il Mio Vento, we're getting married on the beach tomorrow. I thought you'd appreciate being away from home and since I know how worried you are about Helena's stupid A-S-S. I thought we'd have the ceremony away from the house. In case any of her people were lurking around."

"Oh Jason, you really do think of everything. You make me feel so free, and safe. Thank you…just thank you," she said as tears started to pool in her eyes, "And cue the hormonal tears."

"I like the hormonal tears. I just don't like the tears that come from pain," Jason said, wiping them from her face, "Are you ready to explore?"

"Boy am I ever, but first I need to…"

Jason interrupted her and said, "Pee."

Elizabeth burst out laughing, "You really do know me so well. We're a real couple now for sure. We're talkin' bodily functions."

"Baby, I will talk over anything you want to talk about."

"I'm a lady. I won't kiss and tell everything."

"Yes, you're a lady. My lady. So let's get you and the kids inside, and we can all explore our bodily functions separately together."

Elizabeth burst out laughing.

"Cameron, Aurora, come on you two we're here."

The children slowly opened their eyes.

Aurora let out a giant yawn as she sleepily rubbed her tired eyes, "Where are we, Uncle Jason?"

"We're at the beach, little Angel," Jason answered as he helped her get her shoes back on.

"That's so cool!" Cameron replied with enthusiasm, "Come on Rora let's go see the new house on the beach."

Aurora followed him up the walkway almost running.

"No running, Aurora!" Elizabeth reminded hating to even have to say it.

Noticing this as they walked to the door, "Hey, only a couple of more weeks and she'll get the all clear, and she'll be dancing and running in no time."

"I know. I just hate to even have to remind her of that. As if the scars aren't enough."

"The scars?" Jason questioned in a whisper.

"Oh yeah, Jase. Noah Drake, did his best to minimize it, but if they go in the water while we're here, you'll see. She has an elongated scar along her thoracic cavity."

"I don't ever help change her. I thought that might feel like a violation of her trust. Unless she really needed me to help of course."

"Oh I know that. It's just that here comes that mean old Aunt Lizzie again telling me I can't do something."

"She knows how much you love her. Maybe when she gets older if the scar really upsets her we'll get it removed. I'll do anything to help her you know that."

"That's why you're my hero…Now hero, hurry to that door because I really have to pee."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jason replied with a laugh.

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Port Charles 7 am Friday Morning.

Sonny had just sent his sons off with the guard so they could get to school. Michael was school age, but Morgan was in pre-school.

His phone started ringing and he answered on the second ring.

"Ah, Mr. Corinthos, This is Cody we have a serious problem."

"What is it?"

"I came into the security office at the towers and when I walked in Ritchie was passed out on the job, the coffee burner was on and the coffee was scorched."

"Ritchie, was sleeping on the job?" Sonny asked.

"Yeah, we could've had a major security breach and we wouldn't even know it," Cody replied.

"I'll be over shortly. Keep Ritchie there. Who was working the Tower Security yesterday?"

"During the day shift it was Milo, Ritchie took over at 7:00 PM ," answered Cody.

"I'll be over in the next 20 minutes. Do me a favor and call Milo in."

"Will do, Boss."

"Thanks Cody."

Cody called Milo down to the security office. Thankfully it wouldn't take him long to commute since he lived in the building.

After 20 minutes, Sonny, Milo, Cody were all standing around Ritchie questioning him.

"Did you get enough sleep before you came on your shift, yesterday Ritchie?"

"I did. I was as well rested as always."

"What's the last thing that you remember?" Cody asked.

"I was monitoring the cameras and drinking my coffee like always. I put on the game on the radio so I could have the Yanks on in the background. Helps keep me focused."

"Not this time it didn't," Sonny added.

"I swear, all I did was sit down and drink the coffee while I watched the monitors, which by the way was very bitter."

"That's bull man. I know how to work a coffee machine," Milo said in defense.

"I'm telling you as I was drinking it I kept thinking that maybe you forgot to change the filter or something."

Sonny walked over to it and poured a small amount in the cup, taking a small swig. It was burned alright, but Ritchie wasn't wrong the taste was bitter, "Cody you were a marine. Take a swig of this, and while I know it's burned tell me what else you taste."

Cody walked over and poured himself a small amount. Swishing it around lightly, "There's something in that coffee, like a med or something. That coffee is definitely dosed with something."

"I swear, I didn't put anything other than grounds in the coffee machine," Milo said in defense.

"I'm not saying that you did," Sonny replied. He knew the Giambetti's and they were honest boys. There was no way that Milo would do something to sabotage them.

"Milo, didn't you say there was something wrong with door yesterday?" Cody asked, "I called the locksmith to upgrade the locks. Did they ever make it?"

"Not on my shift," Milo said.

"They never came while I was awake," said Ritchie.

"Okay, I'm going to put another call to change the locks," Cody said, "Then I know a friend from the core that left and became a toxicologist. Maybe we have him test it to be safe?"

Sonny shook his head in agreement, "I want the footage from the stationary camera footage and the stationary camera's behind the mirrors reviewed. Start with Jason's floor and this floor. I'm calling Stan and Spinelli to work on it."

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Friday late afternoon, Beach Villa, Undisclosed location, Italy

"Uncle Jason, look it. There's a dolphin fin!" Aurora exclaimed from the shore.

Jason looked out over the water, "I believe you're right Aurora."

"Lemme-see," said Cameron.

Jason picked him and pointed out the fin, "See, Cam. See the fin. That's a dolphin fin."

"Wow. That's so cool, Daddy. I wanna be a dolphin," said Cameron as Jason set him down and Cameron ran around pretending he was a dolphin.

Aurora broke out in giggles watching her cousin and his dolphin moves.

"You two want to build a sand castle?"

"Yeah, let's do it," said Cameron.

"I want to too!" said Aurora.

"Alright let's get started. Hand me that bucket please Cameron."

"Okay, Daddy."

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Inside the Villa

"Em, Francis, Johnny, you made great time," Elizabeth greeted them at the door, "Dinner's on the patio. Jason's down on the beach with kids."

"Oh, I can't wait, I famished," said Emily she walked up to Elizabeth giving her big hug.

"How were things back at the house Francis?" Elizabeth asked as they made their way through the villa.

"Fine, the security detail that we've hired are doing great, and the guard we picked to handle the dogs in your absence is working out nicely."

"That's great to know," Elizabeth said turning around as she escorted the three guests to the patio.

"So Johnny, how long do we get to be in your excellent company?" Elizabeth asked her favorite Irish guard.

"I will be in this area for a few more days, Lizbits."

"I'm so glad to hear it. It hasn't been the same without both you and Francis around. Jason ordered a little bit of everything from the menu, so get whatever you like. We've already eaten, and I was just putting my feet up for a bit. Jason's down on the beach, building a sand castle with the munchkins."

"Gosh Liz, you're soaking it up aren't you?" Emily asked.

"I am, Emily. I really am. I just…I've never been so happy. I've been walking through this life dreaming of this day for so long, thinking I've missed my chance with Jason, and to get to live this dream, is more than I ever thought possible."

"Hey everyone," Jason asked, as he knelt down and gave Elizabeth a kiss on the cheek, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I've been up here eating, resting, and expanding my waistline in your absence," Elizabeth answered.

"Good," Jason replied with a laugh.

Elizabeth and the children walked inside and turned on the T.V. where they had a movie set up earlier.

"Em, how are you feeling?" Jason asked looking at his sister with concern.

"I'm alright Jase. Just a little tired," she said folding up her napkin having finished her meal.

"I got you another disposable phone. Tomorrow after the wedding why don't you give Nik a call?"

"Okay, thank you, Jase. That was so thoughtful of you."

"Of course anything for you, you know that. Hey, did you have a problem getting the dresses?"

"No they will be delivered here tomorrow at 10:00 am."

"Perfect, thank you so much Emily. I know it was a lot to ask,"

"Nah, it was really fun actually," Emily replied with mirth.

"I'm glad you had fun then!" Jason replied as he stood and gave her a kiss on the forehead before going inside.

Jason, noticed Elizabeth get up and head with Aurora up the stairs, "Are you heading up for the night?" Jason asked.

"Soon. I'm going to get the kids down. I was going to get Aurora washed up and come back down for Cam, and get him cleaned up."

"I'll take care of Cameron, just promise me you won't go to sleep without saying goodnight to me. I have to kiss you since I'll be deprived of your company tonight. Hopefully, for the last time."

"God, that sounds so good, Jason," Elizabeth said with a smile as Jason pecked her lips. Jason then looked over at his niece, "Aurora can I get a hug?"

"Oh I'm sorry Uncle Jason," she said as she held out her arms for a hug.

Jason bent down and picked up the little girl, "I love you, Aurora. Don't you ever doubt that," Jason said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek and a tight hug.

"Night Uncle Jason," Aurora said with a wave as she walked behind her Aunt Lizzie up the stairs. Liz thought their relationship was sweet.

"Night sweet Aurora," Jason said

After Jason and Elizabeth got the kids down in separate beds, they met up in the middle of the upstairs hallway. Their rooms were at opposite ends, "I love you Jason. I can't wait for tomorrow. I can't wait to be your wife. I'm not sure I deserve you but I endeavor to try."

"I think you've got this all backwards. I will work every to keep your heart, since you're entrusting it to me. I love you so much. You're essential to my life. I don't think I'll ever have the right words to tell you how I feel."

"You just did, but truthfully, I don't need words. All I have to do is look at your wonderful, soulful eyes and they tell me all I need to know, Jason," Elizabeth said as Jason dipped his head down for a kiss.

Breaking apart for air Jason said, "I love you my beautiful Elizabeth. Get some rest, tomorrow the rest of our lives start, as one."

"As one," she whispered back.

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Port Charles – Greystone Manor.

"Sonny, I think I've got something," Stan said.

"Whatcha got man?" Sonny replied.

"Someone came in during the shift change, and hid in the security room. I can't tell who it is from the angle. I'm gonna watch for the next hour or so and see if I can't figure out who it is. This person is smaller than the guards though. I know that much."

"Good work, keep on it," Sonny replied, "Spinelli where are you with it?"

"Nothing so far Mr. Sir. If someone were to have traversed up to Stone Cold's penthouse they used their nefarious skills to avoid detection from the camera's that scan, though I've not yet checked the stationary one at the end of the hall, hidden behind the mirror," Spinelli explained.

Perplexed with the way Spinelli spoke Sonny just said, "Just keep looking."

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Port Charles- Friday Night- Room above Kelly's

Her breasts were bouncing in the air, as she rode her stepfather, or soon to be ex-stepfather.

"That's right. Take my dick," Ric said as he grabbed her hips and grinded up into with all his strength.

"Ugh…right there," Sam said imagining it was Jason.

"Are you still thinking about him?" asked Ric as he continued to plow upward into Sam. He leaned forward and kissed the spot in between her breasts.

"Uh…what….do…you…think?" Sam replied.

"That's okay, I'm imagining fucking Elizabeth too."

With that Sam slapped him, and continued fucking him through her rage, "What is it with men and her? She just a simpering goody two shoes." she screamed never breaking her rhythm, "I bet she's boring as hell in bed."

"Not-not on your life Sam. Bar none she was the best lay to date that I've ever had."

"Where do I rate on this ridiculous scale of yours?" Sam panted out.

"You're a- You're a five at best," Ric replied.

"Jerk-Mmmmm," Sam replied as she slapped him again, "If I'm so lousy why are you here?"

"Lousy sex, is still better than no sex, Sam," Ric replied as he finished.

"You're so evil, Ric. Why do you feel the need to cut me down?"

"I'm paying you a compliment. You scored two points higher in my book than the late Faith Roscoe. Thanks for planting the evidence by the way."

"Wasn't too hard," Sam replied.

"It's nice to know that you're good for something other than an occasional fuck, and the ability to convert oxygen to carbon dioxide…Look I know that you enjoy having my dick in you, but could you please get off of me so I could go home and scour my body of your grime."

"Gladly," Sam said completely hurt by Ric's callous remarks.

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Saturday Morning, Villa on the Beach, Italy – Undisclosed location

"Aunt Lizzie wake up! Wake up. We're getting married today!"

"I know baby, let's get Emily up and get some breakfast."


	27. Chapter 27

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else

Unknown Guest Commenter You asked the question: How could Jason be a suspect he's not even in town?

In Chapter 13, Alcazar is killed. Jason and Emily had just arrived at the villa. It was Saturday in Italy, and Friday night in New York. Jason left Friday morning, but Ric didn't find out until later. And if you recall, the hit looks like something Jason would be known for. There's a gun in Jason's PH that's been planted. This time around there's a body. The body was found in the water which can mess with the time of death. Don't worry, it will all fall in place or apart at the appropriate time. Thank you for the question.

27.) Wedding at Sunset

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey. Come on sunshine. Emily, its 9:30 in morning. We have to get up and get breakfast. I'm marrying your brother this evening!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Nnnn…I don't wanna!" Emily complained with a smile on her face.

"I know the feeling, being pregnant takes its toll," Elizabeth stated understanding completely. Mornings were always hardest for her.

"Wake up, Auntie Emily! We're getting married to Uncle Jason today. Yay! I'm getting married to Uncle Jason," Aurora said as she twirled around on Emily's bed, bouncing slightly.

Emily finally opened her eyes and glared at Aurora and Elizabeth, "Now there's a sentence you don't hear every day. That almost sounds like a _Maury_ episode."

"Oh hush, she doesn't know any better. It's innocent! Careful Aurora you don't want to fall down," Elizabeth said.

"Oh I know that. It was just funny how she said it," Emily said sitting up a little too quickly feeling a wave of dizziness and nausea.

"Uh-oh, I know that look," Elizabeth said moving out of Emily's way when she quickly stood up and ran to bathroom.

Elizabeth walked in behind her and held her hair as Emily vomited away, "Aurora, go get Mr. Francis for me real quick. Just don't run."

"Kay, Mommy," Aurora said not catching her mistake.

Elizabeth still holding Emily's hair, looked at the doorway in awe, 'She just called me mommy,' Elizabeth thought tears coming to her eyes.

Walking to the other end of the villa, "Mr. Fwancis! Oh Mr. Fwancis!"

Francis was down stairs talking to Sonny on the phone, but Johnny, Jason and Cameron were there instead, "Aurora sweetie, did you need something?" Jason asked.

"Mommy…I mean Aunt Lizzie, she needed me to get Mr. Fwancis. Aunt Em is sick. She frew up. Yuck!" Aurora said sticking out her tongue and shaking her head back and forth in distaste at the idea.

Surprised at first, to hear Aurora call Elizabeth mommy Jason just looked at Aurora stupefied, but quickly corrected that as he started laughing at the faces that his niece was making he answered her, "She did? Let me go check up on her," Jason said standing up but was halted by Johnny.

"Hold up, now," Johnny said, "You're not supposed to see the bride. You know that it's bad luck. Does Emily need anything specific?"

"Ginger Ale and some crackers, I'm sure it's just morning sickness," Jason answered.

"She's pregnant?" Johnny asked not having known.

"I thought you knew. She's not far along, but every few days she gets morning sickness," Jason answered.

"Alright, Aurora go tell your Aunt Lizzie that Mr. Johnny will be right there with ginger ale and some toast. Okay, kiddo!"

"Okay, Mr. Johnny," Aurora said as she walked off.

Before Johnny made his way out of the room Johnny looked at Jason and said, "She sure is a cute little thing isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is. Makes you wonder how anyone could willingly hurt someone so innocent."

Johnny shook his head in agreement has he made his way downstairs to the kitchen to retrieve the crackers and Ginger Ale that Jason had apparently had the foresight to bring with him given his sister's condition.

Finding what he needed Johnny went to bathroom on the ladies' side of the villa. As he came, to the bathroom, he knocked on the open door, so the ladies wouldn't be startled.

"We're decent Johnny," Elizabeth said.

Hearing that Johnny poked his head in and saw Emily furiously brushing her teeth. "I heard you were in need of ginger ale and crackers. I have four sisters. I know how this goes." Johnny said as he deposited a can of ginger ale on the counter and a pack of crackers beside it, "Do you need anything else."

"Nope, I'm going to run downstairs and get Aurora and Cameron a plate, and then I'll get mine. I'll save you some toast Em."

"Um-Hmm," Em said as she continued to brush her teeth and tongue with fervor. She hated vomiting. 'I feel so gross.'

"Jason's already fed Cameron, and he put together Aurora's plate when he was down there earlier to save you time," Johnny informed Elizabeth as she made her way down the stairs with Aurora in tow.

"Thanks for letting me know," said Elizabeth as she made her way down the stairs.

Liz made her way to the table, and pulled out the chair for Aurora. Then took the lid off the little girl's plate.

"Looks like Uncle Jason got you French Toast, Aurora," Elizabeth said.

"Yummy, it looks so good. I can't wait to taste it. He even cutted it up for me," Aurora said back excitedly.

"That's because he loves you so much!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she sat down next to the little girl, preparing her own plate.

As Aurora was eating she got a serious look on her face and Elizabeth took notice.

"Something you want to talk about Aurora?"

"Well I's talkin' with Aunt Emily, and said that you love me like I'm your baby? Is that true?"

Elizabeth took her drink shocked, but recovered and answered the little girl, "I do love you as if you're my baby. Is that okay, because I can't help it Aurora. You're just so easy to love."

"I was wondering if may be starting today, since we're getting married. I could maybe call you mommy and Uncle Jason, Daddy."

Tears sprang to Elizabeth's eyes, "I would be proud to be your mommy, Aurora. So happy. You don't have any idea just how much you're loved. As for Uncle Jason, I think you should talk to him after breakfast while I'm getting cleaned up, and ask him about it."

"Okay, Mommy," Aurora said.

"Okay, baby girl!" Elizabeth said as she took a drink and then finished off her meal.

After Elizabeth and Aurora finished their meal they met Emily upstairs who was emerging from the bathroom cleansed of all her morning sickness. She was wearing a terrycloth robe and a towel was wrapped around her head.

"You look funny with that towel wrapped around your head Aunt Emily," Aurora said giggling out.

"Do I? Want to know something, Aurora?" Emily said as Aurora shook her head yes, "In a little while, we're going to clean you up and wash your hair out, and wrap your head in a towel." Hearing this Aurora's eyes got real big, trying to figure out if she liked that idea or not.

"Emily, while I get cleaned up would mind taking Aurora to see Jason real quick, she had something she wanted to ask him."

"Sure. Also, while you were down at breakfast our dresses arrived."

"Dresses?" asked Elizabeth.

"I measured you while you passed out the other day. Promise you won't look at them without me. They're still in their bags."

"Oh, you sneak. Fine I promise," Elizabeth said feigning anger.

"Thanks, it means a lot that we see them together."

"I promise I won't sneak a peek, but only for you Em."

Emily looked at Aurora and took her hand, "What do you say squirt? You want to go see Uncle Jason real quick."

"Yes, I got something portant to ask him." Aurora said with determination as she crinkled her brow in seriousness.

Elizabeth went and took her shower, while Emily took Aurora to speak with Jason.

"Knock, knock," Emily said, "Peeking her head just inside the door."

"We're out on the patio, Emily," Jason said.

Walking out to the patio, Emily spotted Jason, Johnny, and Cameron.

"Where's Francis?" Emily asked.

"He went to pick up our suits for later. What's up, Em?" Jason asked.

"Aurora's inside your room, she wanted to talk to you? I get the feeling it's important."

"Sure, what makes you say that?" Jason said getting up.

"Because she said she to ask you something portant."

Jason laughed to himself at the impersonation of the little girl before asking, "Will you sit with Cameron while I'm with her?"

"You know I will, I brought my nail file, polish and tissue so I could do this while you two spoke."

"Multi-tasking, I like it!" Jason said as he made his way inside. Spotting Aurora sitting at the foot of his bed. He made his way over to her and knelt down, "I heard from Aunt Em, that you wanted to talk to me."

"I do. It's portant. Okay!" Aurora said in the most authoritative voice a four and half year old could have.

"Okay, I'm listening, go ahead," Jason said smiling down at her.

"I asked Aunt Lizzie if I could be her baby and call her mommy, and she said that I could. I was wondering if…"

"If?" Jason said probing the little girl to ask her question.

"If you could be my daddy starting today, since we're all getting married. Could I be your baby too?" Aurora asked with tears in her eyes with her head down, waiting for the rejection that never came.

Jason, took his right index finger and lifted the little girl's chin up, "I already do love you like you're my baby girl. If you want to call me daddy, I would be so happy. I know that I can't replace your father, but I will always love like you're my little girl because that is how I see you. Do you understand?"

Aurora shook her head yes, "I love you…daddy," she said as she reached out for a hug.

Jason embraced the little girl in a tight hug, "You and Cameron have made me the happiest daddy in the world."

"Yay. I have a mommy and a daddy at the same time. I've always wanted that!" Aurora said pecking Jason right on the cheek, as tears sprang to the usually stoic enforcer.

"I have the adoption paperwork on the way, so I'll officially be your daddy by the end of next week. How do you feel about that?"

"I'm so excited!" Aurora exclaimed as she hugged her new daddy tighter.

Jason carried her to the patio to sit with Cameron and color for a little while. Emily was finishing up filing and was getting ready to set up polish, a nice neutral tone.

"If I had known you wanted to get your nails done, I would have sent someone for all three of you ladies," Jason said as he observed his sister.

"It's not a big deal. Elizabeth and I are experts at doing our nails. We have a cuticle remover that we use all the time, and being in the medical field doesn't really allow us to do too many wild things with our nails, plus the dresses that I picked aren't over the top. Elizabeth and I agree on natural colors considering our location despite her not having actually seen the dresses yet."

"I wanted to pamper the three of you," Jason said. He'd been concerned for Emily. His sister was pregnant and away from Nikolas and he knew it was weighing heavily on her even if she didn't say it.

"Jason, we're getting massages later, and then you sprung to get our hair styled and our makeup done. You've done so much. I feel like this giant leech. I've contributed nothing to this entire experience, except being an extra mouth to feed," Emily said feeling a little emotional.

"Emily, you're my sister. You're under considerable stress, away from the man you love, and the little boy you love. You're pregnant, and you have a l-u-n-a-t-i-c after you. Taking care of you is not an imposition. I'm wealthy and you're family. Not just my family but you know Elizabeth is crazy about you. You're her very best friend and in her eyes, every bit as much her sister as you are mine. She would devastated to think you feel this way. You two bring each other laughter, comfort, and joy. I wish my so-called best friends were as sharing as the two of you."

Emily started tearing up at Jason's sentiment, "Jason you're not just my brother, you're one of my best friends too! We're all pretty fortunate to have each other."

"Yes, I was thinking about that on the drive over yesterday," Jason said.

"I'm glad we've had this conversation. I just want you to know that the way you include me and take care of me has really touched me. You've always done it for me whether I've deserved it or not. So thank you."

Jason smiled at her and took her hand into his, "What is family for? If you stay with us, I promise you won't be alone Emily. We won't let you, and my guys are working double time to eliminate the threats against all of us."

As the day progressed there were no more tears, Emily and Aurora made it back over to their wing. Elizabeth got Aurora bathed and her hair placed in a towel.

Three masseuses arrived with two pregnancy tables, and a small table for Aurora so she could relax as well.

After the massages ended Emily finally let Elizabeth and Aurora see their dresses. All the dresses were matching in style. Elizabeth's and Aurora's were cream, while Emily's was a teal that matched the lighting along the gazebo and of course the ocean. All three dress were off the shoulders, satin pieces with three-quarter length sleeves. The dresses synched nicely at the waist and billowed out to make their dresses flow, and they were all knee length. They were simple, but tasteful dresses. Elizabeth's was a maternity dress, but it still would look lovely on her. Aurora's dress had tiny straps to keep the dress up, but she was thrilled that she'd get to match her mommy and her Aunt Emily.

Finally, the hair and make-up crew arrived. All three ladies had their hair dried the remainder of the way and had their hair set in waves. Their make-up was neutral. Aurora, just had lip gloss and some mascara, but she felt grown up. Elizabeth painted one of Aurora's hand while Emily painted the other.

By 5:15 PM, the ladies made their way to meet the gentleman at the gazebo on the beach. Jason, and Johnny were waiting by a priest, under the gossamer fabric that draped around the gazebo, the decorative lighting that created just the right ambiance for the very intimate gathering that it was.

Francis was waiting for Liz at the end of the path, just out of Jason's sight, behind a hedge. Emily waved to Jason and he signaled for the harpist and violinist to start playing _Pachelbel's Canon in D_ , to begin. As the music started playing, Aurora slowly walked up the pathway throwing out seashells instead of flowers as she went. She was careful to follow her Aunt Emily's instructions about throwing them in the sand off to the side and not the path they were walking on. She was followed by Cameron who was holding on to the wedding rings, as he proudly made his way to stand by his dad.

Emily was carrying a small but beautiful bouquet of Dahlia's that offset the color of her dress nicely. Emily made her way up the aisle in her gown that matched Aurora's it flowed beautifully. It was tasteful, elegant, and teal like the Mediterranean Sea. She slowly made her way up to stand in her position opposite her brother.

It was at this point, that Jason cued up the violinists to change the song into _Ave Maria_ instead of the traditional wedding march. Francis and Elizabeth made their way down the aisle. Elizabeth carried a bouquet of flowers, made of peonies that Jason picked because he thought it matched the pink of her skin when she blushed.

Jason's breathe hitched in his throat as Elizabeth came into view. 'She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen,' Jason thought. He had to remember to breathe as she made her way up to the gazebo.

"Dearly a-beloved," the priest began, but all Jason and Elizabeth could do was stare at each other.

'Hi,' Elizabeth mouthed, 'I love you.'

'I love you too!' Jason mouthed back completely awestruck.

"We're a-gathered today to a-witness the joining of this man and this woman in holy matrimony. This is not a-union that should be entered into a-lightly, but to be taken seriously in sight and presence of family, friends and most importantly God."

"Let us bow our heads in prayer," the priest said as he continued, "God made man and woman to roam in this life together and to a-gather strength in one another. Neither one is complete without the other part. Going forward, God, it is our prayer that you protect this couple and the offspring they produce through their union, for there is a-no greater proof of a man and woman than the family they create and protect. To build a family a virtuous thing in the name of Jesus Cristo. Amen, in the name of the father, the son, and the holy a-spirit," The priest said as he crossed himself. Jason and Elizabeth along with the others all doing the same.

Who gives this woman away?" The priest asked.

"I do, father," Francis said.

With no objections, the couple was free to proceed.

"Very Well," The bride and groom have chosen to complete their own wedding vows to one another at this a-time. Jason, you may a-proceed."

'She's so perfect,' Jason thought as he stared at Elizabeth nearly choking up but managing to pull through as she simply smiled at him with pure adoration, devotion and love. "Nearly, from the moment I met you Elizabeth, I was taken with your kindness of spirit, and you're generosity with those around you, and most intriguing to me has always been your imagination; your ability to see potential where others see flaws. You've always been so beautiful, but those qualities that you carry around have drawn me to you for nearly 8 years. You're a part of my heart in a way that is essential to my existence, like an all-encompassing fifth chamber to my heart, in a way that no one else can compete with. When I'm away from you I exist but I don't live. The fact that you've chosen to spend your life with me has given my life so much purpose and meaning. I promise every day that we're together, I'm going to be a better man. Not because you demand it, but because you are so deserving of it. I hope together we can accomplish all your dreams, and continue to build upon the family that we've already created. I love you so much, Elizabeth. You're my first, last, and always."

Elizabeth's and Emily's eyes were brimming with tears, but Elizabeth managed to continue, "Jason Morgan, how does one follow that up?" she said slightly laughing and sniffling, "When you came into my life it was so turbulent. I knew heartache up until the point I met you, but you taught me to live in the moment, and feel the wind, to live in the present. You inspired me to go for my dreams, even when I had no faith in myself. You are a giver of love. It's in every action you take regarding those you care for around you. You love completely and are accommodating, the very definition of generous. I still can't believe that someone as wonderful, kind, gentle, patient, and let's not forget handsome as you, can find anything worthy in me, but yet you have. Your love is the safest place I've ever known. You, your person, is my home. We could live in a tent, on boat, on the moon, and as long as I have you I'm home. You're everything to me. I can't wait to watch our children grow. You're a wonderful man and you have always been my first, last, and always. Jason Morgan. I love you with everything that I am."

"Jason please get the ring," the priest said.

Cameron walked forward lifting up the pillow, "thanks buddy," Jason said smiling at his son.

Jason placed his ring on Elizabeth's finger and Elizabeth did the same for Jason, declaring their devotion to one another and what their rings symbolized to the world and the commitment that they share.

"By the power vested in-a-me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mr. and Mrs. Jason Morgan. Jason, you may kiss your bride."

Jason wasted no time leaning and kissing Elizabeth in a gentle yet passionate kiss. They soon broke apart remembering that there were children and a priest in their proximity.

"Woo-hoo! Let's party!" Said Emily

Aurora looked at Cameron as the sun was setting over the ocean, "I guess that means were brother and sister now, since I'm being dopted."

"Yippy," said Cameron as he hugged Aurora, "This is the bestest day ever!" Cameron declared.

"It sure is," Jason said, as he hugged his wife. 'Elizabeth Morgan, was his wife,' Jason thought as emotions that he usually didn't show threatened to take hold for the first time ever! As Jason was hugging Elizabeth, her belly started to move, "I guess the little guy agrees with us." Jason said pulling back to look at Elizabeth.

"This is by far the happiest moment of my life Jason, and it's all because of you," Elizabeth said as she looked at Jason with pure affection.


	28. Chapter 28

Sorry that it took so long for an update. It's been hard to keep my MUSE b/c of how things are playing out on GH. Also my kids have started Baseball and it has eaten up a lot of my time. I still plan on continuing this story so please hear me out. Much Love- Vrgogrl22

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

Chapter 28.)

Celebration Time- Come ON!

Stroking the back of Jason's neck, Elizabeth looked up at him and gave him a sweet smile while they swayed on the dance floor, "We're married, Jason. I just can't believe it. It's like all my dreams came true in one moment. Thank you. You are my miracle."

Jason smiled back, and removed his right arm from behind her back, in order to cup her chin. "If anyone has ever deserved happiness it's you Elizabeth. I'm just honored that you're taking this step with me. You've been my miracle since we became friends. I adore you. I can't wait to step into our future and tackle our dreams and even our problems together.

"You know what I can't wait for?" Elizabeth asked.

"What's that?" Jason said back.

"I can't wait until we head back, when things are safer. I can't wait to be waiting for you to come home to us after a tough day of work. I can't wait to have the kids run up to you and say 'Daddy,' look what I made for you at school. I can't wait to have dinner with you as a family. I want when you come home from work, to have something nice to come home to. Trust me, I know you keep unorthodox hours, but I want to bring you some semblance of peace, because you deserve it."

"Those are beautiful dreams. I want those things too! God, how I want them with you," Jason said as they moved closer only to be interrupted by their unborn son's feisty kicks.

"Well it seems he agrees," said Elizabeth as she smiled at Jason with a look of pure joy.

In the background the children were giggling as the waves crashed. They found delight by simply enjoying the sand beneath their feet. It was a happy moment for all!

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Emily stepped away for a moment to call Nik, "Hey Babe, it's me! Every time I call you're not there to pick up. I hope you and Spencer are well. I have so much to tell you. We're safe. I will call you again soon. Love you, Bye."

Emily walked back to the party, and approached Francis. Looking up from his plate he noticed his elegant young friend, "No such luck, Squirt?"

Emily smirked, and shook her head no. "Do you think it would be alright if I called my mom? I want to check on her and see if she's heard from Nik or Alexis. Maybe there's something going on."

"Sure, just remember to keep it short, and then I want to have that phone back so that I can smash it."

"Okay," Emily said walking away.

Emily dialed her mom's number, and thankfully Monica picked up by the second ring.

"Hey Mom," Emily said.

"Oh Em, I've been so worried about you? Where are you?"

"I'm fine, but I can't tell you my location because it would compromise our safety."

"Em, are you sure you're safe?" Monica asked.

"Yeah Mom, I'm safe. I'm with Jase. All's well."

"Listen, I can't talk long, but I need a favor. Can you find out where Nik is? This is the longest I've had a phone and I need to make sure that he's alright. Check with Alexis, or maybe even Lulu."

"Sure, I can do that. I love you, Emily."

"I love you too, Mom. I will call you soon!"

"Be safe," Monica said as the line went dead.

Emily ended the call. She should be home with her dad just passing but the threats were just too real, and like Elizabeth her first priority would be the safety of her unborn child.

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Hours later

The waves were crashing on the shore, in the wee morning hours. The salt and the sea breeze wafted through the air, but the lovers lounging on the porch heard none of it past the noises of their own pleasures.

"Elizabeth," Jason panted out in ecstasy as he gripped her hips, "I love you."

"Mmm…Jason. I love you too," as she leaned forward while she rode him in the tan lounger, only covered by the silk royal blue robe she was wearing.

Jason moved his right hand to her breast needing to feel the soft flesh in his hands as he leaned forward and paid homage to her right nipple and then her left, as Liz called out his name in pleasure.

"I don't think it can get better than this," Jason said as he started to cum leaning his head back in release.

"I…agree with that statement," Elizabeth replied as she nibbled on Jason's lips.

The lovers sat together enjoying the quiet on the shore. Elizabeth leaned forward and nuzzled her face in the crook of Jason's neck, not breaking contact from one another.

"Elizabeth Imogene Morgan, I love the sound of that," Jason said interrupting the silence.

"Ugh…Imogene. I like the sound of Mrs. Jason Morgan the best although the name Morgan makes everything better. To know that I'm completely yours as you are mine. It's a long time coming, Mr. Morgan," Elizabeth replied with a flirty smile and wiggled her eyebrows with suggestion, as she played with his growing mane.

"What do you say we head inside and snuggle up together? I don't want you catching a chill," Jason said reluctantly. Truth be told, he could stay in that position for the rest of his life and never grow tired of it.

"That's fine. Let's wash up first, and then we can snuggle and do whatever else comes to mind."

Elizabeth slowly rose up, disconnecting from Jason. She took his hand and guided them back into their room, and to the adjoining bathroom for a quick shower. Jason lathered up the soap and massaged Elizabeth's body. When he was finished cleaning her, she cleaned him. They took a moment to just stare at each other.

"I can't believe it took us eight years to get to this point," Jason said.

"We're very stubborn people Jason, and we had a lot of issues to overcome Jason, but no more. There's nothing more important than you and our children. Nothing! No one can come between us now, and I won't let the thought of danger get in the way, because what time has taught me is that we're stronger together, especially when we can be honest with one another. The truth is there hasn't been a time where you or I haven't been in danger either separately or together. There's no reason with life's unpredictability why we shouldn't be together, especially since we love one another."

Jason nodded in agreement as he grabbed Elizabeth's hips and brought her closer to his embrace, as close as their unborn baby would allow.

Slipping her arms around Jason's neck Elizabeth continued to speak, "I know that with your job you can't tell me everything, and I can accept that. Just know that I would never betray you or the people you love Jason. I want to be your rock, a safe place for you to come home to, because you've always been that for me."

"Elizabeth, you've always been a rock in my life. My God, how many times have you come between me and disaster? You're the most loving, kind, brave, and uniquely intelligent woman that I know," Jason said as he brought his hands up to her chin and cupped her face in the steady stream of the shower before lightly kissing her. Breaking apart from the kiss, Jason added, "When you consider my occupation, I shouldn't be as lucky as I am. How many men can say that they're married to the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Liz let a tear fall and Jason caught it with the pad of his thumb since he was still holding her face, as if it was the most precious piece of glass in the world, "That is the most beautiful thing you could say. You are so much more than your occupation. I never see you go after an innocent party. The entire city of Port Charles owes you for taking out so many threats. Hell, you're better than the entire police department," Liz said.

Jason dipped his head toward Elizabeth and gave her a brief kiss. Reluctantly pulling back, Jason turned off the shower and opened the door. He grabbed two towels, wrapping Elizabeth up first, then himself.

As they laid on the bed Liz kissed Jason's cheek and said, "I can't wait to snuggle with you for the rest of my life."

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Port Charles- Greystone Manor

It was late Saturday evening. Sonny had just poured himself a drink when Stan came through the door, "I think I know who the perpetrator was! The image is very grainy, but I think we're looking at the image of Sam McCall."

"Sam?" Sonny questioned.

"I thought all her stuff was moved out of Jason's Penthouse," Stan said.

"Me too. I need you to clear up the image so we can see what she left with," Sonny said.

"I'm still working on it. I just thought you would like an update," Stan said lingering around wanting to ask another question, but unsure as to whether or not he should proceed.

"Was there something else Stan?"

"Did Jason find Elizabeth?" Stan asked.

Sonny shook his head yes, "Yeah, he did."

"Good. I'm glad. I'm relieved to hear it," Stan said with a smile.

"Why is that?" Sonny asked.

"Because, she's mom's favorite nurse."

"I didn't know your mom was allowed to have favorites, Stan."

"She's probably not, but I think Elizabeth is the daughter she always wanted. She doesn't say too much publically, but mom has said often that Elizabeth has more courage and compassion than a body ought to. No one's asking me, but Elizabeth seems like a good match for Jason."

"You're right no one is asking you, but I'd still like to hear why you think so, since we're on the subject."

"Sam is cool I guess in dangerous situations. She can handle herself but she also gets herself in a great deal of trouble. Sam seems like she's competing with Jason. Whereas, Elizabeth wants to be helpful, but her underhandedness is a little more sophisticated, and when you consider that Sam's a former con-artist, she's not really good at covering her tracks. Elizabeth can keep a secret and not be caught. I've heard a lot of stories around town and Elizabeth is unassuming but handy in a variety of situations."

"I know that she's good at tending to Jason's wounds. That's how they bonded you know?" Sonny said lifting his drink to his lips and sipping, as Stan nodded before continuing. "He was shot several years ago and she found him, hid him, defended him, and took care of him for a month."

"I had heard something to that effect, but what I do know for sure is that she's clever. Like when Jason dressed up as a doctor last fall and needed Lansing's phone. Jason suggested stealing it, Liz walked right up to him and asked for it. All she had to do was bat her eyes, and pretend like she left her phone at home. Smart girl. Mom saw it, and got a good chuckle out of it. I just think that she's a better fit for Jason. A guy in Jason's line of work needs to come home to something happy, and Liz has a light spirit about her."

"Yeah, now that I think about it they may have been fated that way from the very beginning. Elizabeth is all light, where Jason is all dark. They complement each other well."

Shaking his head in agreement, Stan made his way out the door.

Sonny picked up his phone and made a call, "Put an additional tail on Sam McCall and one on Ric."

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Ric's car- Undisclosed Location

The woman sat down, and accepted the envelope that Ric handed to him.

"You worked for Sonny?" Asked Ric

"Yeah, but you and I both know it wasn't Morgan that killed him," the woman said.

"That money is for your silence of my involvement and for your sworn testimony that you saw Jason Morgan commit the hit on Alcazar," Ric explained.

"Fine, but it's going to cost you an additional 50k. I have debts that I need to take care of. I'm sort of out of a job as of last week," the woman stated.

"Fine, I'll get you half tomorrow, and half after the trial. Whatever you do don't deposit your money. Meet me here tomorrow same time," Ric advised as the man exited his vehicle. Ric locked the door and headed for his rental. He'd been forced to rent an apartment since Alexis had confronted him about his sexual escapade with her daughter Sam.

Sitting off to the side of the road, hidden by some trees Cody with a wide angle camera, "Got ya!" He said as he'd taken enough shots to show that there'd been some sort of pay off. Cody had seen the passenger before but he wasn't certain where.


	29. Chapter 29

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

Thank you for your support!

Chapter 29.) Discovery

Sunday Morning- General Hospital

It had been a long shift for the Middle aged Cardiovascular Surgeon. She came back to work in effort to place the death of her husband, the late Dr. Alan Quartermaine out of her mind. Returning her patient's finished chart back on the counter, she looked up in time to see Alexis Davis walking off the elevator.

"Alexis," Monica said offering an exhausted smile.

"Monica? How are you doing?" Alexis asked.

"I'm…Well, honestly I'm going through the motions."

"I can imagine. There's nothing saying that you have to work right now. It's possible that it may have been too soon to return to work."

"Truthfully, I just need the distraction," Monica replied, "Actually, I'm happy that I was able to stop you. Have you heard from Nikolas?"

"No, actually it's been over a week since I've heard from him. We were supposed to meet up earlier, he needed to discuss family business and he didn't make it in. I had intended to go visit but got side-tracked. I don't know if you've heard, but Ric and I are divorcing."

"I'm sorry to hear that Alexis, especially for the girls," Monica said.

"It was never going to work. The man's as big an egomaniac as his brother, and an even bigger narcissist too if you can imagine that," Alexis said as she fiddled with the clasp of her briefcase.

"So I've heard," Monica replied as she tiredly removed her stethoscope and folded it in half in her hand.

"Was there any special reason that you needed to get in touch with Nikolas?" Alexis asked.

"Emily wanted me to let him know that she's been trying to get in touch with him with no success."

"Why can't she head over to Spoon Island?" Alexis asked, curious as to where her nephew's girlfriend was.

"You haven't heard?" Monica asked.

"Heard what?" Alexis asked.

"Emily left town. Elizabeth's sister was murdered by the man that stalked Emily and raped Elizabeth."

"Sarah Webber? I completely disconnected the two. What man raped Elizabeth?" Alexis asked.

"It happened when she was a teenager. Tom Baker was the perpetrator. It was apparently, a rather brutal attack. He left her in the park, and from what Emily told me, Lucky Spencer happened upon her. Jason took Emily out of town to protect her and presumably Elizabeth too," Monica explained.

"That explains why Lucky and Elizabeth were always so close. Well until recently. Seems like Elizabeth's ex-husband and mine both have cheating in common. Speaking of cheating, I've heard other information from my, wayward daughter Sam. It turns out that Elizabeth is pregnant with none other than Jason's baby," Alexis supplied, "and the night that my husband was cheating on me with my daughter, which Jason and I both saw. Elizabeth walked in on Lucky with Maxie, which is how Elizabeth ended up with Jason. They consoled each other."

"What a mess. All I know is that because of Helena Cassadine and Tom Baker, I'm out my daughter and an excellent OR Nurse, whose possibly carrying my grandchild," Monica stated.

"Leave it to Helena," Alexis ruminated as she picked up her briefcase off the floor, "If a life can be ruined she will ruin it. Monica, I will go over to Wyndemere and check on Nikolas. See if he's heard anything, and let him know that Emily's been trying to get in touch with him."

"Thank you, Alexis. Please let me know if he wants me to relay anything back. I have no way of reaching her, but I'm certain she'll call again."

"Will do," Alexis said as she made her way over to the elevator.

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PCPD- Sunday Morning

"Who is she?" Ric asked looking at the woman at Cruz's desk. Of course, Ric already knew who the witness was after all he'd paid her just the day before.

"Says her name is Meeka Jorvanski, and up until recently she worked for Corinthos and Morgan as their very personal flight attendant. They booked a lot of miles," Mac said eyeing the sultry red-head that oozed sex appeal. She wasn't his type but a man could look now and again.

"She have anything relevant to say?" Ric asked

"Says she got personal with Jason and saw him put his gun away, and was talking about how he killed Alcazar," Mac answered, "Not sure if I'm buying that. He doesn't usually cheat and isn't really someone who would admit that to anyone."

"Didn't Jason cheat on Robin with Carly?" Ric asked.

"Yeah, but it was back when Jason was first injured. I didn't appreciate him doing that to my niece, but he had just come out of his coma. He was completely different…Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm buying that this Meeka was with him and that he would tell her something business related."

"I don't care what you think Mac. Take her statement, I'm going to draft a writ for a warrant. Hopefully, Judge Lewis will grant a search of Morgan's residence and other properties now that we have a witness statement."

Mac shook his head. This didn't smell right, but he couldn't exactly stop Ric from his pursuit of so-called justice. There was something rotten in Port Charles.

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Wyndemere Sunday – Noon

"Nikolas," Alexis called out to the cold dank room, "Nikolas."

The room was dark despite it being midday. There was an unusual smell that permeated the air. Alexis continued to walk through the corridor just past the foyer.

"Nikolas," she called out again getting no response. She walked toward Nik's office, but tripped over something in the floor. Looking down at what she tripped on she was shocked. 'Oh my God, Alfred,' she thought. The elderly gentleman was clearly deceased, as the smell of death all but enveloped her in the small room. Alexis was leery of moving forward but something around the corner just beyond the door caught her eye. It was Nik.

"Nikolas!" Alexis called out, "Oh my God, Nikolas. No, no, no! How could this happen?"

Alexis managed to get control of herself, remembering Spencer. As she went to the young prince's room, it was empty. There was no sign of him anywhere.

She backtracked out of the horrific scene and went outside. She pulled out her cell phone and called for help.

The line picked up and a tearful Alexis spoke up, "This is Alexis Davis and I would like to report two murders on Spoon Island."

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Beach Day, Italy Undisclosed location- Sunday Afternoon

"Daddy, daddy, look it, I'm making a sand angel," said the little girl. Full of love in her eyes for newly adoptive father.

"I see that sweetie. Aren't you a sight?" Jason said smiling at his soon to be adopted daughter. The paperwork would be completed in a couple of days. Aurora was dressed in a vibrant pink one piece bathing suit. She was starting to sport a small tan, and light freckles that he hadn't noticed before adorned her darling little face. She had such large expressive, brown eyes and sandy blond hair. Aurora had become his precious girl, full of spirit and spunk, and for a small child she was infinitely kind. That was her strongest resemblance to his beloved Elizabeth. A big smile graced her beautiful face and Jason's breathe caught in his throat. In the last 24 hours he'd gained two children, whom he loved and adored just like their mother. Aurora had come to accept them as her new parents, and he was moved by it, vowing instantly to protect her as he would Elizabeth, Cameron, and the new baby whose name they settled on the week prior, Jacob. A family, a whole family. The thought of it made him shake. This was almost too much. Too perfect.

"Aurora, sweetie come here. Let's add some more sunscreen. You're starting to get some color, and I don't want you to burn."

"Okay Daddy," Aurora said as she slowly got up and trudged over to him in the heaviness of the wet sand.

Jason applied the sunscreen to her back, neck and legs. Then he had her turn around. He managed to apply it to her face and neck, but when he got her upper chest, he could tell that the 4 year old was nervous, "Mommy told me you have a little scar there."

"It's not very wittle, and it's ugly too!" Aurora said looking down shyly.

"Nonsense, as far as I'm concerned it only makes you more beautiful" Jason said, "There's nothing ugly about you. That's your battle wound, warrior princess."

"Huh?" the little girl asked completely confused and raising a quizzical brow.

"Your battle wound. See you're my princess, and you battled your way out of that terrible car accident. You're very strong and that scar there is the proof that you're so tough."

"I am?" she asked looking at him with her big doe eyes and long delicate eyelashes that belied her complete innocence.

Smiling at her Jason continued, "Sure. You'd have to be the strongest little girl to fight the way you did, and your reward for living through your accident is your battle wound. It only makes you more beautiful to me. It's just proof of how bad you wanted to be here with us. You want to know a secret?"

"Yep, I'm good at keeping them just ask Aunt Emily."

"I bet you are," Jason said smiling, "I have some battle wounds too," Jason said.

"You do?" Aurora asked as Jason shook his head indicating that he was telling her the truth.

"Can I see?" asked Aurora.

"Sure," Jason said. He was already shirtless from being on the beach. See this scar right here?" Jason said pointing to the gunshot wound that he had from back in 1999.

"Wow!" Aurora exclaimed, "Are you a worrier too!"

"A worrier?" Jason asked confused then laughed as he realized that Aurora mispronounced the word, "you mean a Warrior, and I guess you could say that I'm a warrior for you, Cameron, and your mommy and the baby."

"Mommy said you're a p-tector. You stop bad guys, so you must be a worrier too."

Jason just started to laugh completely humbled by the darling girl. "Do mind if I finish putting sunscreen on you. I don't want your little chest to burn. How about I put sunscreen on your hand and you rub it in. Is that okay?"

"Sure Daddy," Aurora said as Jason poured some into her small hand. After Aurora finished her front to include her arms and legs with Jason's help they sat and watched the surf together. As the hour passed. They discussed many topics that were on the 4 year old girl's mind. Most of what Jason gleamed was that Aurora didn't want to be alone and just wanted to be loved, and that for a girl her age she was incredibly insightful and thankful to have family that loved her so completely. Jason was left in awe by these new feelings. He'd really only dealt with little boys. Cameron, Michael, and Morgan were who he often had interactions with. They were rough and tumble and all boy. Aurora, probably could be all those things had her recent injuries not hindered her ability to play, but she had an obvious delicacy to her. That wasn't to say that she didn't possess strength, quite the opposite actually. Her roots ran deep and she clearly possessed an old soul. Jason felt lucky to get this time with her. He'd been scrambling to find a way to make sure that Aurora knew how much she was loved by him. He was terrible with words, but Aurora didn't seem to need a ton of them. Just an ear, and an open heart.

It was this scene that Elizabeth and Cameron came upon. Emily had been fine in the morning, but was feeling a bit peaked so she'd gone to lie down in the adjoining villa. Johnny had walked her back to the villa but chose to stay out on the veranda in an effort to give her space but make it so she wasn't alone.

Elizabeth and Cameron walked up the beach hand and hand gathering interesting shells along the way that Cameron placed into his bucket. Francis followed them at an easy distance, so the mother son duo had a chance to get some quality time together without him underfoot. Elizabeth was concerned with all the changes taking place and wanted to connect with the kids individually, in order to gauge their needs, so she started with Cameron since Jason and Aurora were playing and now seemed like a good time. After an hour of walking and talking Elizabeth determined that Cameron had handled the transitions nicely, and was excited about becoming a big brother, and that Jason was his new daddy. Most of all he was thrilled that Aurora was no longer his cousin but his sister. It seemed to mean a lot to him. The three year old boy was precious, smart, and thoughtful. As a mother, she couldn't have been more blessed and proud of her son and who he was becoming as a person.

Elizabeth spied Jason and Aurora sitting on the beach, looking out at the ocean. They seemed quite comfortable with one another and Elizabeth was so pleased. 'Please God, if you're up there and listening to me, please don't take this from me. Let my family find peace,' Liz said in a humble prayer to herself.

"Mind if we join you two?" Elizabeth said walking up hand in hand with Cameron.

"Sure," Jason said giving Elizabeth an easy smile. The look on her face was complete adoration and he returned it in kind.

Jason noticed Cameron's bucket, "Did you get good loot there bud?"

Cameron shook his head 'yes,' "I gots lots of shells. Mommy says we're gonna make somethin' when we's get back to the house."

"You are?" Jason asked.

"I thought we'd come up with some sort of plaster and incorporate the shells to commemorate our wedding and this beautiful weekend we've shared together," Elizabeth elaborated.

"That sounds like a great idea," Jason said.

"Aurora how about you take a walk with me in a little bit and we'll get some shells for your decoration?"

"That sounds like fun, Mommy," Aurora said beyond excited.

"Did you two have fun?" Elizabeth asked her little girl.

"We sure did, mommy! I made a sand angel, and then daddy and me looked at the ocean."

"That's wonderful, and you mean to say Daddy and I looked at the ocean," Elizabeth gently corrected.

"Daddy and I, looked at the ocean. He told me I was his worrier princess, cause of my battle wound. He showed me his battle wound on his side. He's a worrier too!"

Jason smirked at that.

"He did, did he? Well you know what your daddy is pretty smart. You are a warrior princess. I have a battle scars too! You want to see them?"

"You do?" asked Aurora.

"Sure," Elizabeth said pointing to her right shoulder, "See."

"Wow, what's that from?" Aurora asked.

"Someone was playing around with a gun, and shot mommy right in the shoulder."

Jason, shook his head at her explanation knowing that wasn't quite what happened, but he didn't correct her.

"And I have this one from when I was in a car accident and they had to perform surgery on me. Just like you."

"Wow, mommy. So that would make you like, a worrier queen," Aurora said getting up and giving Elizabeth a hug, "Cameron, you wanna build a sand castle with me?" Aurora asked as she pulled away.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Cameron replied.

"Oh, I'm a worrier queen alright," Elizabeth said laughing.

Jason leaned over into Elizabeth's ear, "Mrs. Morgan that story you just told about how you got shot isn't quite accurate. I might have to punish you for your dishonesty later. I feel like a good tongue lashing might be in order."

"I look forward to it Mr. Morgan, and I was being as honest as I could be. Zander was playing as if he was grown man when he shot me."

"Hmmm…We'll discuss this later Mrs. Morgan where I can peruse your old injuries more thoroughly."

"That's fine as long as I can take a _HARD_ look at your injuries as well. Perhaps we can compare notes and take inventory that is if you're up to the challenge."

"Why you…" Jason started but turned his head and kissed Elizabeth square on the lips.

Elizabeth chuckled as Jason pulled away and wrapped his arm around her.

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Just after Sunset Beach Day- Undisclosed location.

The kids were already washed up. Elizabeth and Aurora spent an hour walking up the other end of the beach in search of shells for their art piece. It was beautiful, and Elizabeth was pleased with all the progress that Aurora had made.

Now, with the children settled for the night Jason and Elizabeth took a moment to enjoy the sunset on the water. They were walking back hand in hand, when they noticed Francis at the sliding glass door to the Verandah.

"Liz can you stay right there I need to talk to Jason for a moment," Francis said.

"Sure," Elizabeth said taking in his serious tone. She pulled up a chair and sat at the patio table.

Jason walked over to Francis and said, "What's going on?"

"Go inside, and take a look at the news. It's all over the place. Thankfully, Johnny is sitting in with Emily and she's still out of it."

Jason peeked his head in and watched what was playing out over the international news. Nikolas' picture was posted and the reports were saying that he along with his butler, Alfred were apparently murdered. That he was found by his Aunt Alexis."

'Oh my God,' Jason thought, 'How in the world am I going to tell either one of the women this? Elizabeth had survived a lot, but Nikolas was one of her best friends. Lucky's issues aside, she would grieve for her friend Nik, and then there was Emily. She was pregnant with Nik's child. How was he going to tell her?'

Jason quickly turned off the news…and thought for a moment…'right.' I'll start with Liz. She won't get as worked up, because she'll want to remain calm for the baby and Emily. Then we'll figure out how to break it to Emily.'

Jason walked back outside and looked at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth feeling Jason's eyes on her knew instinctively with his facial expression that something was amiss.

"Jason, I can tell something is really wrong, and I don't think its business is it?"

Jason shook his head 'no' as he walked over to her, "Do you promise me that despite being upset by what I'm about to tell you that you can remain calm for the baby?"

"I can only promise to try. Just tell me Jase," Elizabeth said as Jason walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. He cupped her chin, "Baby, I'm so sorry to tell you this, but the news is saying that Nikolas' body was discovered today by Alexis at his home. He's apparently been dead a few days, along with the butler, Alfred."

"Oh..Oh no," Elizabeth said tears came to her eyes, "Not Nikolas. Oh no, what about Emily? The baby. Oh no, what about Spencer?"

"The news didn't mention Spencer. I will call Sonny, since Spencer is his nephew, maybe Sonny has him."

"God, I hope so. Poor Nik, poor Emily. Why would someone hurt him? I just don't understand. I know that you had no great love for him, but he really was such a gentleman, and a true friend. Especially, in spite of my fallout with Lucky. He gave me the benefit of the doubt when he didn't have to."

"I know, baby. I know. We'll figure this out all of us together. I need your help. How do we break this to Emily? She's asleep should we continue to let her sleep knowing there's nothing she can do, and let her rest considering her condition, or do we wake her up and tell her."

"God forbid, but if it were you, I would want to know right away."

"I know, but she's barely getting rest as it is," Jason said concerned it would be tragic if Emily lost the baby due to this stress.

"I have an idea," Liz said

"Call Sonny. Find out about Spencer. Let's at least have that answer before we go to her with all of this. Let's have as much information as we can before we break this to her. If anything happened to Spencer we may have to sedate her."

"Can you do that since she's pregnant?" Jason asked.

"I don't like it, but she may initially need it," Elizabeth said, "and they make mild ones. I just know that if it were you, I'd need one, especially if you compound the fact that we don't know about Spencer yet."

Jason took out his disposable cell, and called Sonny. The phone rang twice.

"Hey it's me," Jason said as Sonny answered.

"Hey Francis," Sonny said hoping Jason would catch on.

"Are the police there Sonny?"

"Yeah, they've got a search warrant for Jason's Penthouse," Sonny said.

"What are they looking for," Jason asked.

"They think that Jason shot Alcazar, supposedly there's a witness, so they're doing their usual roundup. Looking for his firearm. Too bad that Jason's been out of town for over a week."

"Okay, well keep me posted on that. Have you heard about Nikolas?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, man. I don't know what happened there. I'm worried because no one has seen my Nephew Spencer. It's too bad that Jason's been out of town so long, I could really use him to help search for my missing nephew."

"I have to break this to Emily, but I'll organize a search from here. We'll look into this, and get him home somehow and see if this is Helena's doing or what."

"I appreciate that Francis. Let me know if you find anything, call me back if you do," Sonny said covering for his partner.

"You know I will. I'll consult my lady and come up with a plan since she's an expert on all things Helena."

"Thanks again,"

"Bye," Jason said hanging up, and crushing his phone.

Elizabeth looked up, "So they don't know where Spencer is?"

"Sonny doesn't know, and I couldn't get into it. They're at our warehouse and I imagine my Penthouse with a warrant."

"A warrant for what?" Elizabeth asked.

"Alcazar," Jason said simply.

"Let me guess, Ric is heading that _investigation_ ," Elizabeth said with sarcasm.

"I don't know, but I'd imagine so," Jason said.

"Great, just one more thing to add onto our plates. I really despise Ric," Elizabeth said as she slowly stood up, "I'm going to go get some tissues for Emily. I think we should bring her downstairs and tell her. That way if she storms off, she won't fall down the stairs. We don't need any more tragedies. Not only do I love Em, but I owe it to Nik to be here for Emily and help her with this pregnancy.

"Okay well I'll tell her," Jason said.

"No, Jason. She should hear this from me. That way she'll be able to turn to you. Nik was my other best friend, and it should be me to tell her. It's only right. You need to be there to hold her. She'll need your strong embrace in that moment. I need you to bring her down," Elizabeth said as it was getting harder for her to get up and down the stairs.

"Okay," Jason said as he got up and went to Emily's room.

Elizabeth went in and grabbed some tissues and brought them down to couch. Johnny grabbed her and Emily each a water bottle and sat it on the table. Francis pulled a seat up at the kitchen counter. The mob lieutenants were not looking forward to this.

Jason and Emily slowly made their way down the stairs where Elizabeth was waiting. Emily could tell by Jason's tone that it was serious. Liz patted the spot next to her, "Hey Em, did you get enough sleep?" asked as she took in Emily's tired visage.

"Yeah, it took a while but once I was out I slept hard. So what up?" Emily asked as she took a seat next to Liz as Jason took a seat on the other side of Emily with an arm wrapped firmly around her shoulder.

Taking Emily's hand Elizabeth, placed it between both of hers, "Em, there was reports on the news from back home."

"What…What kind of reports?" Emily asked.

"It appears that Alexis went to Wyndemere today, and…" Elizabeth took a second to clear her throat and get control of herself, "she discovered the bodies of Alfred and Nikolas."

Hearing this Emily pulled her hand away, "No…No, it can't be. My Nikolas," Emily said starting to cry, "No not my Nikolas." Jason wrapped Emily in his protective arms, "We were just getting back to a good place."

"I'm so sorry, Emily," Elizabeth said, "I don't know what else to say."

"There's nothing else to say," Emily said, "How can this of happened? Do they know how they were killed?"

"Not so far. The news reports didn't indicate anything. There's more," Jason added.

Emily looked over at him completely distraught, "What more could there be?"

"There's no sign of Spencer. Sonny has people looking into it, but he wasn't found at the scene. Nik and the butler, Alfred, had been dead at least a few days Emily. We know that he was scene at Sarah's funeral, and that's it," Jason explained.

"I can't believe this. My mind won't let me go there. How can Nik be gone? It doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know," Jason said, "but we'll find out. This won't go unanswered. Nik and I were never close but he good to both you and Elizabeth and he didn't deserve to die. That's for sure. Do you think that this is Helena?"

"No!" both Emily and Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Nik is too precious to her," Elizabeth explained.

"She still held out hope that Nik would join the family fold and become a true Cassadine Prince," Emily stated as tears cascaded down her face.

"I concur with Emily. She wants him to lead, or she wanted him to. If I know Helena, I would say she's probably in all likelihood just as upset as we are, possibly more so." Jason nodded his head understanding what Elizabeth was saying.

"Well if not Helena, then who?" Jason asked.

"That's the million dollar question. Obviously, it'll probably whoever has Spencer. Helena will be in the search for him," Elizabeth said.

"Liz is right, Jason," Emily said.

"For now Emily, you've got to focus on your baby. Let's just stay calm. It's what Nik would want and you know it. We stay calm and focus. Maybe if we put our heads together we can figure out who's behind this," Elizabeth said as she grabbed Emily's hand back and gave it a tight squeeze.

"For Nikolas, I'm willing to try. I will try to stay calm."

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In a small cottage just outside of Port Charles-

The small TV was blaring the news about the newly discovered remains of Port Charles resident Prince Nikolas and his Butler Alfred.

A cry could be heard as the young toddler was having a hard time getting to sleep.

"Shhhh…Hush little baby don't say a word, Mommy's gonna buy you a mocking bird," the blonde said as she rocked her young child and watched the events that she set in motion playout on the international news.

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In a parked near the cliff roads, just outside of Port Charles.

The BMW sat rocking as Ric uttered, "You were wonderful at the police station."

"Of course I was, I'm a professional Mr. Lansing," the red-head said as she sat riding him. Ric was grabbing her ass, "Do you like fucking me, Mr. Lansing?"

"You're easily a 10," Ric answered, 'This woman is so hot.'

"You're not so bad yourself," Meeka answered.

Not too far away sat Cody in a nondescript car that was taking still frames of the newest transaction taking place in the less than noble A.D.A.'s car. 'Nice,' Cody thought, 'you may have set Jason up, but we've got the goods on you Ric.'


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30.) Flip the Switch

I don't own ABC. I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

The theme for this chapter comes from the movie "Eye for an Eye."

Just a heads up, the story is going to start jumping around to make it more exciting. Thanks for your kind reviews and your patience.

Sorry it's taken so long! I've been working on Anna's Angels.

 **Four and half months later (Mid-July 2007) -Port Charles, NY.**

The scumbag had been staying at Jake's of all places. She'd left the children with Monica and Emily at the mansion, which naturally provided more protection. Francis was under the impression that she was suffering with a cold, and had gone to sleep. She hated to lie to Francis, or Jason for that matter, but it was time. Time to fight this demon on her own. She needed to eliminate a threat that she'd been facing since she was 16 years old. Emily was further along in her pregnancy and had received several threats from Tom Baker. Since arriving in Port Charles, three weeks prior she'd only received one, but the message was clear. He was going to come after her and Aurora. It was time to end this. Jason had been arrested shortly after Jacob's birth. It was heartbreaking, but Anna had warned them that Ric would stop at nothing to find Jason. She along with Sonny, Spinelli, Stan, Johnny, Francis, and Carly had been working tirelessly to prove Jason's innocence in Lorenzo Alcazar's murder.

Johnny knew where the freak had been staying. They planned on taking him, but Mac had issued a threat stating that if Tom Baker disappeared before they could build their case against him that he would assume Jason was behind the order and they would add an additional charge, along with hauling in the entire crew. She knew that Jason wanted her to stay under constant guard but she couldn't do that anymore. She had children to think about. Helena was still a threat. Someone had murdered Nik. Then there was Sam and Ric, who were just as vile as they've always been.

She gathered her trusted German shepherd, Athena, and took her to her Gram's house. She left Athena a bone and some water. "It's okay girl. Momma will be right back. You just stay put." It was early afternoon. Emily had made her excuses for her, but she knew Emily was nervous on her behalf. She could hardly blame her. If something went wrong Emily and Jason's relationship would be forever strained, but she couldn't in good consciousness let this continue. Emily had had tremendously stressful pregnancy. Jason was locked up and couldn't defend her at the moment, so it was on Elizabeth do the job, and do it convincingly.

Elizabeth ran upstairs and got the cleaning supplies out. The crime scene investigators had left a mess in her room. She made it look as though she'd been cleaning up. The truth was that she hadn't really been here since Tom Baker had broken into her home back in March. The house she'd spent her mid to late teens in now made her shudder with discomfort.

Elizabeth bundled her hair into an old cap that she'd kept from high school. She placed her leather gloves on, and took out a flashlight. She got into her car and made her way to Jake's. She carried a backpack with her. Thankfully, since the guys knew all about where Tom Baker was staying she received daily reports on his schedule. There was a problem at the warehouse tonight. Elizabeth had been biding her time; waiting for the guards surrounding her to be spread too thin to adequately keep up with her. Tonight would be the night. It was an excellent opportunity to take the human piece of garbage down.

The management at Jake's unlocked the doors around 3:00 in the afternoon, and it was just after 3:30 when she'd pulled up and parked a block away. She didn't want anyone to recognize her car. She slowly made her way into the bar. No one was working the front which was typical based on the time. It was Thursday. Tonight would be slower. Tom Baker would certainly notice her.

Elizabeth opened the door to the bar and peeked her head inside. It was just like she thought no one was working up front at the moment. Tom wouldn't get off from his janitorial position for another hour, which gave her plenty of time to enact the second act of her plan. She walked to the back of the bar and made her way upstairs. Tom's room was the third on the right. Knocking briefly, Liz prayed that she was right and that Tom was still at work. When he didn't answer, she pulled out her lock picking kit (that didn't involve a credit card). She stuck the picks in and was quickly able to unlock the door. Peeking her head in, she observed that Tom wasn't in the room. The first thing she decided to do was open his drawers and throw his clothes about. Then she walked over to his bedside table and threw the dirty magazines about that he'd kept piled there. From her backpack she pulled out pictures of her with the Aurora. Then she pulled out pictures from her Deception photo shoot days. And finally, she pulled out pictures of Emily. She laid them carefully around the bed. She pulled her cap off and placed it on the dresser. It was a baseball cap from her high school. It was perfect. That's how he'd targeted her in the first place, through school pictures and since he was obsessed he would understand the clue of just who'd destroyed his room and violated his space. On the photos from her Deception campaign, the phrase " _not a word_ " was scribbled repeatedly, in handwriting that was similar to Tom's. On Emily's the phrase "blackmailed bitch," was scribbled. On the pictures with Aurora, the phrase, "Precious little princess," was written.

When Elizabeth was certain that she'd gotten the room exactly how she wanted it she left the same way she came. Liz didn't have the curtesy to lock up. She wanted him irate and targeting her. She made her way down stairs, and no one was working at the bar currently. She opened the door and slammed it hard enough for someone in the back to here. Then she walked over to the bar, and plopped down on the bar stool. According to the guys, Tom picked up his mail before he went to his room every day. Coleman came to the front and looked at her.

"Well if it isn't my favorite nurse," Coleman said.

"Coleman," Elizabeth nodded and replied with an enchanting smile.

"Are you here to lick it, slam it, and suck it?" Coleman asked with a mirthful laugh.

"No, Coleman not today. Actually, I came to drop off these invoices. Cody, sends his regards. I would like a Cherry Coke to go though, if it's not too much trouble."

"Anything for you doll face. Rumor has it that you're Mrs. Morgan now," Coleman said as he made his way over to the beverage dispenser.

"It's comforting to know that not all rumors are false," Elizabeth answered.

At that time the bar door opened, and a disgruntled and barely dressed Samantha McCall entered.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it,' Elizabeth thought. She was not going to get out of here without a confrontation.

"Well if it isn't the harlot who stole my man," Samantha said as she made her way over to where Elizabeth was seated at the bar.

"Hello Samantha, heading home for the evening?" Elizabeth said with a large smile as she gestured with her left hand to the rooms upstairs.

"I'll have you know that I'm staying at the Metro Court," Sam replied with an overdeveloped sense of confidence developed over a lifetime of achieving literally nothing.

"That's nice to know, Sam," Elizabeth replied.

At that point, Maxie walked in followed in by a rumpled Tom Baker.

"Hey Sam," Maxie said, "Oh look it's Lucky Ex. He sure got rid of you, you two bit whore."

"Maxie, when you look in the mirror, do you see what the rest of us see?" Elizabeth asked crossing her arms. She wouldn't be cowed by these morons.

"I see a talented charming girl, which is what everyone else sees, I'm certain. Lucky certainly sees it," Maxie replied sure of herself and trying to get a rise out of Elizabeth.

"I'm sure Lucky does see your so-called worth," Elizabeth smiled on the inside knowing that Lucky didn't see shit, because he was dead, "I see a perfectly good waste of BJ's heart. That poor organ was wasted on the vapid, soulless, bitch that you are."

"Why you," Maxie started to strike Elizabeth, but Coleman stopped her arm.

"Little Darlin', your underage in this facility, and you're Mac's niece, and that's not the biggest problem with this situation. You really don't want to go around attacking the wife of Jason Morgan." Elizabeth smirked at their outrage shown by both Sam and Maxie but thankfully, Maxie chose to keep her hands to herself and move away from Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was thankful that Coleman interrupted the physical altercation. It's not that she couldn't handle them, but she didn't need to overplay her hand.

Tom Baker walked around the three women, taking them in, but not really listening to the conversation. Then he looked at Coleman and said, "Hey Coleman, you got my mail, man?"

Coleman looked under the counter, and shook his head 'no,' "There's nothing here for you, Baker."

Elizabeth and Tom made eye contact and she gave him a cold stare, which he immediately recognized. Thankfully, Sam and Maxie were too caught up in conversation that was meant to cut her down. Turning away from Tom, she looked at Coleman, ignoring Sam and Maxie completely, "Well Coleman, it's been fun but I have to go to my Gram's house. I'm gonna spend the rest of the night the rest of the evening cleaning up. _Fun times_. Got a find a way to occupy my time with Jason locked up for a crime he didn't commit."

She grabbed her drink, and looked in the mirror behind Coleman, 'Yep, Tom definitely heard that statement. Good.' She gathered her backpack and observed as Tom head towards the stairwell. As she heard Tom go up the stairs she walked out of the bar, and then took on a bit of sprint until she made it to her vehicle. Thankfully, no one was around to see her run to the car, otherwise it would have looked suspicious.

Five minutes later she pulled up to her Gram's house. She grabbed her book bag and her drink and set about going upstairs. If she was right he would be irate at the as soon as he came upon his door.

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Meanwhile at Jakes…

Tom slowly made his way up the stairs tired from the day. As he turned down the hall he noticed that his door had been left open and was slightly ajar. Mad at the invasion of privacy he immediately walked in. He switched on the light and was enraged at the mess that had been left in his room. Across the floor his magazines were strewn in careless disregard. His clothes had been ripped from their drawers. On the bed, he noticed the pictures. His obsessions lay bared. Lacking the presence of mind that this may have been a staging of some sort. He looked at the pictures. Placing his prints all over them in the process.

'Who would do this?' He thought. After a few minutes of trying to figure out who would break in his room, he saw a hat placed on the bed.

Smirking to himself it came to him. The logo on the hat was the same school that Elizabeth used to attend, and he'd just seen the object of his obsession downstairs. 'She's going to be alone tonight,' he thought as he grabbed the hat, and placed it on his head. He walked out the door and locked it, then left the bar. He didn't have a vehicle, so he would have to walk, which was fine by him anyway. He didn't anyone remembering he exited a bus at a certain time anyway.

He took his time, and nearly 40 minutes later, the house where Elizabeth was cleaning up from his previous intrusion came into view.

The Sun had just started to set. Tonight would be good. 'I wonder if Elizabeth has gotten better with age.'

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Elizabeth had been crouching in the corner of her Gram's bedroom. 'Tom thinks he's so clever. Maybe you shouldn't walk up the direct path to break into someone's house you moron.'

The shower in the main hall was running.

"Athena," Liz called out as her beloved K-9 came.

"Good Girl. Sit and Stay," Liz ordered, as she hid behind the door.

She could hear Tom breaking the lock on the front door. The stairs were creaking beneath his weight.

Liz looked at Athena, and using her hands commanded Athena to continue to stay and await her commands. Athena did as her master required.

From the crack in the door, Elizabeth could see Tom lurking outside the hall bathroom. Inside, it appeared that someone, presumably her, was taking a shower. To add to that misdirection, Elizabeth prerecorded about 20 minutes of her caterwauling. She'd gotten the idea at home, when she was showering and decided it would trick Tom into thinking she was one place when she was actually in another.

Slowly, Tom entered the bathroom, he crept up to the shower and pulled back the curtain swiftly. He jerked back in surprise realizing he'd been tricked, and decided to turn around. When he did, Elizabeth was waiting with her firearm drawn.

Elizabeth, liked her small PPK. It fit in her grip nicely.

"What are you going to do shoot me? Last time you didn't have the courage," Tom reminded Elizabeth while laughing cruelly at the memory.

"I don't know Tom, you broke into my home with the intent to do me bodily harm."

"You'll never get away with it. You're married to a mob enforcer. They'll never believe a mob moll like you."

"We'll see," Liz replied as she squeezed the trigger, and like she planned by disengaging the spring, she'd caused the gun to jam, which was in fact her intention. She needed him to attack her.

Seeing that the gun didn't fire, Tom leapt forward grabbing Liz forcing her against the opposite wall in a front choke hold with both hands grasping her neck.

Elizabeth remembered her training and went about stepping on his instep, causing Tom to scream in pain. In retaliation, Tom backhanded Liz with enough force that if she hadn't been trained it would have adequately stunned the woman. Thankfully, as promised, Elizabeth was trained after Jacob's birth. Not getting the reaction that he wanted from Liz, was smacked again this time drawing blood.

'Perfect,' Liz thought before saying to Tom with a determined look in his eye, "Thanks, Tom. _You sucker_. Athena, NOW!"

Bounding out from the bedroom, Athena grabbed onto Tom's calf with tremendous force.

Elizabeth grabbed Tom's hands that were on her neck, and held them closer. She lifted her right arm up and twisted over both arms releasing the hold. Trapping his hands she pulled him closer as she used her right elbow to elbow him in the face. Because he was struggling with Athena on his leg, Elizabeth was able to strike out and hit him directly in gonads. As she turned her head to the side she noticed her gun, but unfortunately so did he. They both made for the gun, but Athena was still biting into Tom's leg mercilessly. With his other leg he managed to kick Athena off which managed to knock the poor girl into the wall. Athena let out a small yelp, but remained undeterred as she rushed to help her master again. Clamping onto Tom's other leg.

Tom and Elizabeth were struggling for the gun. Elizabeth managed to disassemble the gun, and fix the spring that she'd messed with before. When Liz reassembled the gun she turned to fire, but Tom managed to kick Athena off once again knocking the gun from Elizabeth's hand in the struggle. Ignoring the pain, Tom crawled forward and grabbed Elizabeth's left ankle as she made her way to the gun, tripping her. As Elizabeth fell she was in obvious pain. Athena seemed injured and she was going to have to struggle to get to that gun. Looking back at Tom who was trying to climb toward her she used her right foot, to kick him repeatedly in the face which worked. He let go as blood started pouring down his face. Her left ankle free, Liz crawled over to the firearm. The safety was off. As she turned to point the gun at Tom he was crawling like a mad man toward her. She fired once hitting him square in the chest. Tom collapsed to the ground. Liz crawled around him and went to Athena who was yelping in pain. She had a small laceration to the head and probably had a concussion, "My poor brave girl," Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth looked up at the wall, she could see a shadow looming over her. It seemed that Tom wasn't quite so dead.

Thankfully, Elizabeth had her gun at her side. Making a quick decision she pushed Athena out of the way as Tom moved to push Elizabeth down the stairs. Elizabeth fell forward, but thankfully she'd been trained how to fall, and she was able to get control of herself. Somehow she'd managed to hold onto the gun. Turning she aimed the gun at Tom as he walked slowly down the steps.

"This ends here, Tom."

"It'll never be over," Tom replied as Liz leveled four out of five of the remaining shots center mass, and the last one hitting his forehead.

Tom fell with finality. 'He's finally dead.'

Gathering all her remaining strength, Liz walked up the stairs past Tom's body, and went to the bathroom to retrieve her phone. She exited the bathroom and carefully guided the Athena back to her room and then locked the door. Once the door was locked, Elizabeth dialed 911, and advised them of the situation.

As they stayed on the line with her, she grabbed a spare clip and reloaded her gun, explaining to the operator that she was frightened and was armed."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31.) Flip the Switch Part 2

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else. Also, one line from the movie Speed is this chapter. When Liz threatens Ric.

Port Charles, PCPD interrogation room.

Diane Miller, local Attorney extraordinaire, and her client, Jason Morgan were discussing the case against Jason. Despite, eyewitness accounts by Jason's former flight attendant Meeka, and the unregistered handgun that was used to kill Lorenzo Alcazar. A handgun that was found during a search of Jason's apartment the state was going to have a hard time proving their case against Jason. Jason for his part loathed being locked up like a caged animal. The whole notion of confinement went against his nature.

They were finishing up their game plan when a police officer opened the door.

"Attorney Client privilege, or haven't you heard of that?" Diane questioned as she turned to the officer.

"I'm sorry, but we need this room to question a witness in a homicide."

"Another innocent person you're railroading, I presume." Diane replied.

Jason just sat facing forward, staring at the wall blankly.

"Nah, it looks like a home invasion that went wrong for the criminal. Girl and her dog kicked his ass. If you wouldn't mind clearing out we need her to make a statement," the cop said before ushering the girl towards the door.

At that moment, Jason caught sight of Elizabeth. He quickly scooted back in his seat and walked toward her. He was shocked by her disheveled broken appearance, "Back away, Mr. Morgan."

"Stop! That's my husband," Elizabeth said.

"What?" The officer asked.

"I'm Elizabeth Morgan, and you officers have already deprived me of my husband's presence being in my life daily, please let him console me. I was nearly raped tonight, for the second time."

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow you two touch each other. That's strictly prohibited."

"Fine, then let him stay, and Mrs. Miller too since she is the family attorney," Elizabeth said glaring at the officer.

"I can do that," the officer said as he let her past him.

"Where's Athena?" Elizabeth asked but the officer looked clueless, "My dog, German Shepherd, super smart, saved my life tonight."

The officer moved over to escort the dog in. The poor dog was clearly sporting a head wound.

"My clients will need their privacy," Diane said as to the officer who rolled his eyes and left the room shutting the door behind him.

"It's nice to meet you Diane. Sonny speaks highly of you," Elizabeth said with a slight smile never taking her eyes off Jason.

Jason was tearing up at the sight of her, "Elizabeth, my God. What happened to you? I didn't even know you were in town."

"I've been here for three weeks, Jason. The children and I came as soon as we were ready. I've been working to get you free and I've been handling other things, as promised," she said looking at Jason in a way that he recognized as saying there was more to the this story.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Jason asked angrily. 'No one even bothered to tell me she was here where the wrong people could get to her.'

"That was my decision. There's a lot happening on the outside and my presence was needed."

"I can't believe all of you would keep me in the dark."

"Don't be angry. You need the plausible deniability on your side. I didn't tell a lot of people that I was here. Carly didn't know. Sonny knew, and a few of the guards that were on your sister's rotation. Francis has been guarding me."

"Why didn't he protect you tonight?" Jason asked with an obvious tick in his jaw.

"I slipped away," Elizabeth said sheepishly as she lifted her shoulder and Jason shook his head, not liking what he was hearing.

"I needed time away, to handle things on behalf of Gram's estate. I went to her house to clean up the mess that the crime scene investigators made when Tom Baker broke in a few months ago. I brought Athena as a means of protection and my PPK."

Jason lifted an eyebrow in curiosity, "You're trained to carry now?"

"I am. I have a valid license, Jason. I needed to protect myself and the kids. We've discussed this you know. Before Jacob was born," Elizabeth said grabbing his hand.

Jason grabbed her hand and stroked it with his thumb.

Diane stood back in the corner and watched.

"We are waiting for the day that you can come home to us," Elizabeth said with tears streaming down her face.

"I love you," Jason said, his eyes glassy.

"And I love you. So very much," Elizabeth said as the door opened to reveal a very perturbed Ric Lansing along with Commissioner Mac Scorpio."

"Mr. Morgan and the witness do not need to be here," Ric said to Mac.

"He's not leaving Ric, he's my husband, and if you're going to question me then I want him here."

"You married him?" Ric asked with disgust.

"Of course I did. He's staying."

"What's a dog from the K-9 unit doing here?" Ric asked.

"Back away Ric. She's had a rough night and she's liable to bite you," Elizabeth said.

"This dog is yours?" Ric asked skeptical. He didn't think Elizabeth liked dogs, especially large ones.

"She sure is. Athena, heel," she instructed, and Athena did as she commanded.

"Look we're here to get your statement. So will you please tell us what happened? Starting with your routine today," Ric clarified.

"Elizabeth, you don't have to do this," Diane declared.

"It's alright, Diane. I have nothing to hide," Elizabeth replied looking at Jason for to give her courage.

It was hard for Jason to look at Elizabeth. She had bruising on her face and around her neck. She'd also walked in with a slight limp that didn't go unnoticed by him.

"This morning, I awoke like I have for the past three weeks at the Quartermaine Mansion. I've been staying there since I arrived back in the states."

"You arrived three weeks ago and you're just seeing your husband now?" Ric asked, not quite believing her.

"I don't know if you're aware of this, but until tonight Tom Baker has been stalking both Emily and myself. Helena has targeted my entire family and killed them. I haven't really left mansion. I didn't visit with Jason because he requested I keep myself and the kids safe, and I figured Helena might have someone watching the station. I don't know if she knows we're married. I've also been working to help free my husband from your scurrilous lies and taking care of Emily. I'm the mother of three small children Ric, as you well know since two of which you threatened to take from me last year, and the other you threatened to kill the way Faith Roscoe, killed our child. You implied you'd be willing to push me down the stairs," Elizabeth threw in with a smirk. Jason squeezed her hand and closed his eyes to calm himself. All he really wanted to do was strangle Ric and take his beautiful, strong wife home so he could protect her.

Ric shook his head in anger, "After you awoke. What did you do?"

"Hold on a second, I'm afraid this conversation can't take place with someone as bias as Ric Lansing conducting the proceedings. No statement will be given unless Ric leaves and Mac takes over on his behalf."

Ric shook his head 'no.'

"Ric, we need her statement. Please leave," Mac said.

Ric stood up angrily, but decided to leave since they really did need Elizabeth's statement. After Ric left Liz continued.

"I fed my children. Then I ate. I went on a run with my other dog Atlas, and then I hung around with Monica and Emily for a few hours. I wasn't feeling great, so I went to lay down, but when I couldn't sleep I left. I went to Gram's to clean up. The house had been on my mind, but then I remembered I forgot to drop off some invoices for Cody at Jake's. So I went to Jake's. Coleman and I talked for a minute, and he got me a drink. Then Sam and Maxie walked in and had a lot to say. Maxie even tried to hit me. Some guy walked in looking for his mail, turned out to be Tom Baker. I didn't recognize him at first, because he looked so different. I got scared and told Coleman I was heading back to my Gram's. I think Tom Baker must have heard me, and I was just too naïve to realize that he was still planning on attacking me."

"Why didn't you take a guard with you?" Mac asked. He knew how Sonny and Jason's business operated from when Robin was involved with Jason. All the girlfriends/wives got guards.

"Going to Gram's was personal. I love my guard, but I felt he would be better suited to watch over my children and Emily. You know Tom's been after her too, and Helena. I'm not the only one with psychopaths after them that everyone on your force seems too preoccupied to capture, and since you've deprived me of my husband, I decided to take Athena and my firearm as a means of protection. Trust me I would've much rather had Jason defend me."

Deciding to ignore jabs about the department he asked another question, "Tell me what happened between you and Tom Baker?"

"I was washing up when Athena got my attention. She's very well trained to do so. She alerted me to there being something wrong. So, I went to my Gram's room and got changed, and that's when I heard someone breaking in. It turned out to be Tom," Elizabeth said shaking in nervousness that she was playing off as fear. 'God, I hope they buy this shit,' Liz thought.

"Tom made his way upstairs and walked towards the bathroom."

"Why didn't you call 911?"

"I was planning on it, but I accidently left my phone in the bathroom. I was just in such a hurry to get dressed, and my clothes were in the room across the hall."

"Why not use your room to change?" Mac asked.

"Please, I could barely stand to be in the house. After what Tom did in that room, and the fact that you all still didn't bother to arrest him. I just couldn't change in there and leave myself vulnerable to the fear that I had. So I chose to change in Gram's bedroom."

"Where did you get the gun?" Mac asked.

"Harvey's Firearms. I'm registered. I knew the only way I was going to get out was to aim it at him. When he turned around and saw me, I-I told him to stop. That I would shoot him if he moved toward me," Elizabeth said shakily, "He said I didn't last time. I told him that I would shoot if he didn't stop walking towards me. He didn't listen and started walking toward-toward me. So I fired on him, but the gun jammed. I'd cleaned it yesterday, and I've noticed that with the PPK, it can jam up if the spring is slightly out of place. I guess I didn't catch it yesterday. Assembling firearms is new to me. Anyway. The gun jammed and he knocked the gun down and started choking me. He slammed me against the wall, and I tried to step on his foot. He didn't like it, so he s-s-slapped me really hard twice. I managed to scream out for Athena to attack. I didn't want to but he was choking me, and I had been afraid she may get hurt. While he was distracted by Athena, I elbowed him and he released me. I went for the gun and reassembled it. He kicked Athena off of him and started to crawl over me. I managed to shoot him in the chest once and he collapsed. I thought he died, and I managed to get away from him to attend to Athena…B-But he didn't die. Athena seemed really hurt, so I moved her out of the way, and he pushed me down the steps. I was able to hold onto the gun, and I shot him until he stopped walking."

"We'll need to get pictures of your injuries," Mac said.

"I figured."

"Where are you hurt?" Mac asked.

"He hit me twice on my legs. My leg hurts from where he tackled me trying to get to the gun. My back hurts from where he slammed me into the wall and where I was pushed down the stairs."

"I'll get a tech in here to take pictures of your injuries and your dog's too so we can close out the case. If the evidence backs up your claims then you'll be free to go."

"Fine," Elizabeth said resolutely as Mac got up and left the interrogation room.

"You want to tell me why you were handling Jake's invoices for Cody?" Jason asked now that the room cleared out.

"Not here I don't. Let's just say that I persuaded Cody to let me take them, because he's been so busy trying to clear you, plus there was a problem at the warehouse today. I was just trying to do my part."

"So you took them?" Jason asked.

"Yes, though I didn't look at them."

Diane looked at Elizabeth pointedly. "Oh my God. You mean you set that man up to attack you?"

"Tom Baker came onto my property with the intent to cause me bodily harm. The law says that I have the right to defend myself."

"Elizabeth," Jason said shocked catching on to what had happened. He had known where Tom was staying. All the guards did. Elizabeth found out and decided to do something about it. He didn't know whether to scream at her or be proud of her. She'd played Tom and he fell for it. Learning how sneaky his wife could be turned him on. 'Total package: Brains and Beauty,' He thought shaking his head with a smirk in admiration.

The door opened with the tech came with a camera. Elizabeth stood up thankful that a woman had been sent. Elizabeth briefly stripped down to her underwear, so that all pictures could be taken. Elizabeth's body was badly marred by what Tom had put her through. All Jason could do was shake his head. His beautiful woman had been injured and could've lost her tonight. 'I've got to get out of here,' he thought.

Once the tech left and Elizabeth redressed, Mac entered, "Well, it seems that Coleman checked out your story, and we went to Tom Baker's room. The room was trashed except for the bed. The man was obsessed with you, Emily, and your little girl. He had pictures all on his bed and there were fingerprints on them that belonged to him,"

The tears Elizabeth conjured up so convincingly left her eyes, and she added, "I'm not surprised. I just wish you all decided to build your case as quickly as you manufactured the one against my husband. He wasn't even in town when Alcazar died."

"I need you to sign your statement, and then you can home. As for Jason, I don't really buy the witness' story, but we have to go where the evidence leads us. If you can produce other information that's verifiable then I will be happy to review it and present my finding to someone higher up than Ric."

"Thank you for your open-mindedness. Anna was right about you, Mac. Let me have Diane review the statement, and then you're going to tell me why my husband hasn't been released on bond yet. He doesn't need to be here."

Mac handed the typed up statement for Diane to review.

"Ric asked that he be held on remand and the judged ruled in his favor," Mac explained.

"Is Ric still here at the station?" Elizabeth asked.

"He's here," Mac answered.

"Good, send that smug asshole in," Elizabeth demanded then rolled her eyes, "please."

Mac left to retrieve the Ric.

"You can sign this Elizabeth. They're agreeing that this appears to be self-defense."

"Good," Elizabeth replied. She noted that both Ric and Mac's signature were on it.

Mac returned with Ric, and Mac took the form to scan it into the system.

"Mac when you're finished scanning this document I want a copy for my attorney. She'll go with you to make sure that it's filed and scanned in a timely manner. I wish to speak to the District Attorney in the presence of my husband," Elizabeth said while looking into Jason's eyes.

"I really must object," Diane said.

"I understand your apprehension, but this is a conversation that I need to have with Ric."

"Jason, do you want me to go?" Diane asked her client.

"It'll be okay," Jason replied.

Diane went with Mac to the scanner to get a copy of the document, and watch Mac to make sure it was scanned in the system.

"You have my complete attention Elizabeth as always?" Ric said as he addressed Elizabeth. 'I have to say she's never looked more beautiful,' he thought. "Being the mother of multiple children seems to agree with you."

"First, you will address me as Mrs. Morgan or you won't address me at all. Secondly, it's time to cut the bullshit."

Jason lifted his eyebrows up at her in surprise at her brass. Liz smirked at him.

"Excuse me," Ric interrupted shocked at both her assertiveness and her language, "I see Jason has rubbed off on you."

"He did a lot more than rub me Ric," Elizabeth shot up grabbing Ric by his tie and forcing him forward, "Here's what's going to happen you obsequious little pischer. You're going to go to the judge with Diane. You're going to tell him that in light of the circumstances pertaining to the return of Jason's family to the United States that you would like to change your argument for remand, and ask for a bond instead. You're going to use my sob story convincingly. Since we all know that you can lie like you breathe air. Then you're going to bring up that Jason's wife was attacked tonight by a criminal that the city has failed to protect me and his sister Dr. Emily Quartmaine from."

"Why in the world would I do that?" Ric asked.

"Great question?" Elizabeth answered, "I'll tell you why because if you don't I'm going to file a suit against you, Mac, and the City for letting that monster Tom Baker run free to terrorize my family, while you go after my husband with these false charges. The jury will draw their own conclusion."

"That's blackmail," Ric said.

"You'd know all about it," Jason said defending his wife.

"If you don't expedite this quickly I'm going to go to the press," Elizabeth said ushering tears, "I can be quite convincing."

"Please, like they'll take you serious," Ric stated.

"They will, or do you forget who I am, Ric?"

"You want to say that again. You're just a mobster's wife. Sad to say. You used to be special."

Hearing this Jason let out a growl and slapped the table trying to stay in control. He didn't appreciate the scumbag attorney putting down his wife. Sensing Jason's anger Athena made her way over to him and placed her head in his lap. Jason was surprised by how much he grew to like having the dogs. 'Poor dog has a huge knot on her head.' He stroked her head lovingly. 'Thank you for saving my Elizabeth, Athena,' Jason thought.

"Relax babe, I got this," Elizabeth said confidently to Jason. To which Jason nodded back, surprisingly turned on by her forwardness as he ticked his jaw. 'My wife is so hot!' Jason thought as he perused her body objectifying her as only husband should.

"Ric, I'm the only remaining granddaughter of Steven and Audrey Hardy. My grandfather was beloved and helped lay the groundwork for this city. Jason's family are the Quartermaine's, and whether he appreciates that fact or not we have their clout and their backing. You are standing in front of members of two of the most aristocratic business and medically inclined families not only in this town but in the nation. All Emily and I have to do is get to a podium and speak about the unbelievable horrors that our family has been subjected to due to the fecklessness of the DA and the PCPD. I'll tell them how you denied me protection by my husband, my children were denied their loving and attentive father, and how Emily was deprived her doting brother while she tries to grieve during her pregnancy. We'll make quite the picture once the national news takes hold. Emily's very beautiful and I've been told, by you that I'm very pretty. I'm sure the camera will love us."

"You're unbelievable you know that," Ric said.

"So I've been told," Elizabeth replied arching her right eyebrow, "Hurry Ric, or I'll have Diane get a hold of the footage from GH of you threatening to kill my youngest child and take my other children away."

"You couldn't?" Ric asked.

"That particular footage has been harvested by a very reliable source," Elizabeth said walking to the door, "Should I call Emily and tell her to meet me here? Placing her and my children in further danger where Helena is concerned or are you going to take your uppity butt, to the judge and argue to have my husband released on bond?... Tick Tock, time's a wasting Ric."

"You bit…"

Jason stood up, "Ric if you value your ability to chew whole foods you won't finish that statement."

At that moment Diane returned, "Is everything alright in here?"

"Yes, Diane. Ric here has decided to go before the judge to ask that he be released on bond. He's so obliging that way," Elizabeth said with an enigmatic smile. Then she walked up to Ric and whispered, "If you double-cross me on this, they will be able to collect what's left of you with a sponge. I have someone watching you, Ric. Think of your daughter. You don't want Sonny to raise her do you?" Elizabeth backed away smirked at him.

"Fine, I'll see to it that we get him released on bond. I'll call a judge and see if he's available."

"Good, you do that, and you better make him available. Diane would you go to court with him or wake a judge or whatever. Make sure my husband is released on bond as promised, by Ric."

The lawyers left and Elizabeth turned to Jason smiled and said, "Alone at last."

"You really are so amazing. Do you know that?" Jason replied.

"You give me the strength to be amazing. I love you. You're coming home to me and boy oh boy, are we going to destroy that ridiculous despot that just left here. Do I have information for you; you're going to want to kiss me," Elizabeth said as she flirted with Jason.

"I'll do more than kiss you," Jason said.

"Can you keep that jumpsuit, that's pretty hot," Elizabeth said as she winked at her husband.

"How bad are you hurt?" Jason asked noticing that she winced when she winked at him.

"I'm bruised pretty much everywhere, but we'll talk about that at home."

"Alright. God it's so good to see you. I feel alive again," Jason said.

"Wait until you see the kids. They miss you so much. Aurora asks about you every day. She, Cam, and I pray for you every night. I'm so sorry that I've just gotten here now. You had to think that I abandoned you or- or something, but please trust me when I say that I've been working to get you out of here. Permanently," Elizabeth said tearing up.

"I never thought that for a minute. I knew you were trying to keep you and the kids safe and you had stuff you needed to take care of."

"Thank you, for believing in me," Elizabeth said in tears.

"Always….First, last and always. I will always believe in my Elizabeth," Jason replied taking his wife's hand while looking at her with understanding.


	32. Chapter 32

I don't own ABC, I don't General Hospital. I don't own Under the Tuscan Sun, or anything else.

I'm sorry that it's taken so long. I'm in the process of a move, and life has a way of coming between me and my writing. Thanks for your patience.

Chapter 32.) Endeavor to Try

It was the middle of the night when Jason was released on a million dollar bond. He was amazed at how quickly it got pushed through. Diane and his wife were miracle workers. A slightly disgruntled Francis met his boss and his charge at the police station. He was both concerned for and angry with Elizabeth, and she couldn't blame him.

Once in the SUV, Francis started, "Lizzie, after you've gotten some rest, I would like an explanation from you and an apology. You don't know how worried I've been."

Elizabeth looked up from where she was tending to Athena, and looked at Francis before saying, "That's more than generous. I'm sorry for worrying you Francis. I will explain everything when we go over to Sonny's later on today, I guess."

"Fine," Francis said then looked over at Jason, "Man, I'm so glad you're out of that place."

"Me too! I can't believe I'm saying this but let's get back to the mansion, as I understand that's where we're staying for the time being. How did you get my grandfather to agree to let you and the dogs stay there?" Jason asked his wife.

"It's not that hard. We have three children he wants desperately to get to know. Plus, all I have to really do is bat my eyes and smile politely and nod appreciatively at all his ideas," Elizabeth said with a smirk.

"You're so diabolical. How did I miss this over the years?" Jason said as he turned to look at her beautiful profile.

"You see what you want to see, and I'm willing to do anything to help you and your sister. Oh, Jase. This has all been so hard on her. She's taken Nik's death so hard. Monica has been an absolute lifesaver. She really has. I don't know what we would've done without her. She's a godsend and in a way I envy you and Emily that."

"You do? Why?" Jason asked. His relationship with Monica had much improved, but he still remembered the way she used to infantilize him. Thinking back on that made him shudder.

"Yeah, of course I do. She's a great mom. I wish…well I wish my mom had cared as deeply for me as Monica does for you and Emily. I know you're not going to like me saying this, but you have a wonderful mother, and she's been so good with the kids. They still don't know that Cameron is yours. I thought…I thought we should tell them together."

"We will tell them in due time. And you're wrong about how I feel about Monica… I still can't believe you got me out tonight."

"Well believe it, Ric doesn't know it but his whole world is about to fall apart. It's best if we leave this conversation to Sonny's tomorrow," Elizabeth replied exhausted as she leaned against the door.

It took all of ten minutes to get from the police station to the Quartermaine Estate. Despite it being the middle of the night, the front door was yanked open by Monica who came sprinting out once the SUV came to a stop in the long and winding driveway. Jason stepped out of the vehicle first and was wrapped in a warm hug by his mother which in the past would've been awkward, but now seemed fitting. When they finally stepped back, Monica noticed that Francis had helped Elizabeth out of the vehicle followed by Athena. She waved to the three of them to follow her inside, and so they did. Once the front door was shut, Monica embraced Elizabeth in a hug, and let out a few tears of her own.

"You brave, brave girl. Don't think I don't know what you did here tonight. Promise me you won't ever do something so foolish again," Monica said as she clung to the young woman who'd become a second daughter to her.

"I will try, Monica. I just couldn't let this continue. I know Helena will continue to be a threat, but Tom was something that I could handle. So I did," Elizabeth said to Monica as she finally loosened her embrace.

Jason just stood back and watched bewildered at the two women as they embraced each other.

"How's Emily?" Elizabeth asked Monica.

"She's resting. She was a nervous wreck earlier until the news reported that Tom had been killed at Audrey's house, and that you were alright," Monica said, "And poor Francis here was practically apoplectic."

"I'm sorry that I made everyone worry for me, but Tom has been handled and he won't be bothering Emily anymore," Elizabeth replied.

"Nor you or Aurora. Thank God," Monica said in a tone of gratefulness, "Why don't you take Jason upstairs to your room and get settled for the night. Jake went down easily and is asleep in his crib. Aurora and Cameron fell asleep in Em's room. They watched a movie together. I think it helps since she doesn't know where Spencer is. Will you be needing anything before I go up?"

"Yeah, the number to a good Vet. Athena was kicked into the wall pretty hard. I think she has a concussion but I don't know for sure."

"I'll have Alice place a call for you," Monica said.

"I can do it, I just need the number. No need to wake her," Elizabeth replied looking over at Jason who had knelt down to assess Athena's injuries on his own.

"Sure, I'll bring the number to your room," Monica said turning to look at Jason.

"Thanks, Monica. I appreciate it. Jason, I have your clothes laid out on the bed for you. Let's get you a shower because I know that there's a little boy that you're going to want to see. Jacob will be waking up soon for a feeding and I know that you're going to want to be the one to feed him."

"You know me so well," Jason replied standing up and walking over to Elizabeth. Taking her extended hand.

"I'll see you two in the morning," Francis said.

"Francis," Elizabeth said halting the guard's movements, "I'm sorry that I went behind your back and made you worry. You didn't deserve that. I want you to know that I trust you with my life, and more importantly my children's lives, but I couldn't wait anymore. He was one too many threats to keep around. I also needed Jason out. I knew that Ric would fold to my threats to sue him and he would get Jason out. We need to meet with Sonny and Cody later in the day, once we've all rested. There's a lot going on that Jason doesn't know. Now that he's out we can focus on getting him up to speed and more importantly getting the charges dropped," Elizabeth said.

"I'm not mad. I was scared out of my mind. You're not just my charge. You're my friend, and honestly when I look at you I see someone that I view as my kid sister with bruises on her beautiful face from what that animal did to you. I know why you did what you did, and you saved all of us from being charged if we would've gone after him ourselves. I just hate that you felt you had to do it," Francis said.

"Francis, I didn't do this because I felt I had to do it for me. He sent a threat to me, yes, but he also threatened Aurora, and he's been sending ongoing threats to Emily. She's been through enough. I can't be the mother and sister-in-law/best friend I need to be while I'm constantly looking over my shoulder, so I compelled Tom to attack me," Elizabeth defended, "I'm just sorry that you were worried and that I scared you."

"I know. I heard you really showed him too!" Francis said with a laugh.

"I'm glad to be out of jail so that I can help look out for you and the kids now," Jason said as he watched. He honestly felt bad for Francis but he was proud of Elizabeth's tenacity when it came to protecting her family, "Head up to bed Francis. We're going to have a hell of a day starting when we wake up."

"See you two later this morning," Francis said as he made his way to his guest room.

"Our room is the third on the right. I'm going to make Jakey a bottle. Your clothes are laying on top of the dresser. I'd hoped we'd be able to get you out. Go get washed up. Just don't turn on the main light, Jacob will be asleep in his crib, which is in our room. You have bedside lamp."

"Okay," Jason said as he slowly made his way up.

Elizabeth made her way to the kitchen and she heated up a mug of water and pulled out Jacob's baby bottle. The microwave chimed and she placed the bottle in the mug. It was at this point that Elizabeth finally broke down in tears. 'Tom Baker, is finally dead, and I killed him. I'm glad that I killed him,' Liz thought as the tears poured down. Her personal terrorizer was gone and she was thrilled beyond measure, but still the tears continued to creep out.

She was so caught up in her tears that she didn't notice the strong pair of arms encircle her in a tight embrace.

"Shhh," Jason said as he lovingly stroked Elizabeth's back, "Jacob was starting to stir. Come up with me, and let's get him fed. You're okay now. You're okay."

"Okay," Elizabeth said as she pulled away from Jason's embrace. She grabbed the bottle and tested it on her wrist. It was warm. As they made their way up the stairs, Elizabeth felt some contentment as she looked at her right hand and noticed how it was intertwined with Jason's. Jason must have felt her eyes on him and he looked over at her as well. His gaze portrayed so much love and trust.

As they made their way over to their room, Elizabeth turned on the small bedside lamp which lightly illuminated the room. Jason made his way over to the bathroom and turned on the shower, undressed and got in. Elizabeth walked in with Jacob in her arms and placed a towel out for Jason to wrap up in. "I brought you a towel, babe for when you're finished. I'm going to change this little guy's diaper and by time you're finished he should be ready to eat."

"Thanks, baby. I'll be out in a minute," Jason said as he scrubbed down the jailhouse slime that seemed to be clinging to him. 'I'm so glad she was able to spring me from that hellhole, my beautiful Elizabeth,' Jason thought with a smile.

Jason dried off and exited the bathroom to find Elizabeth just finishing up with changing baby Jake. It brought an immediate smile to his face. There was something primal about seeing his woman tend to their child. It brought out the caveman in him. He felt the urge to protect them. 'We still have to find out what Helena wants and then find out what Ric is planning besides having him sent to Pentonville,' Jason thought as he observed the love of his life snapping the last of the buttons on that onesie. He'd just finished pulling up his boxers and his towel was now draped around his neck to catch the excess dripping from his hair.

"How is he?" Jason asked as he walked over to them.

"Perfect. The spitting image of his father. He's such a good baby Jason. He's my little peanut. Yes, you are. Aren't you?" Elizabeth said as she lightly tickled the baby's sides and got a great big smile and a happy gurgle out of two month old. Liz picked up the baby and handed him to Jason.

Jason held his son to his chest, as Elizabeth walked behind him. She grabbed his towel and ran it over Jason's head. "You're hair has gotten so long, baby."

"Yeah, didn't exactly trust the Jailhouse barber near my head with sheers and other sharp implements," Jason replied as Elizabeth finished drying his head.

"I'm sorry you had to be in that place. I'm so glad you're here with us where you belong," Elizabeth said as she walked to the hamper near the bathroom.

Jason sat down on the rocker in their room, and Elizabeth came back over with a burp cloth and Jake's bottle and handed them to Jason. Elizabeth just smiled as she watched them.

"The kids are going to be floored when they see you during the daylight hours," Elizabeth said practically giddy.

Jason was looking down at his youngest child, "He's grown so much in the last month and half. I just can't believe it. He's so beautiful, Elizabeth."

"Yes, he is. Like his daddy," Elizabeth replied as she made her way to the bedside table, "I'm going to step out to place a call with the veterinarian for Athena. I see Monica left me the number here on the bedside table."

"Yeah, looks like she was kicked pretty hard," Jason said as he thought about what Elizabeth had done to protect their family. It was an extraordinary feat and an incredible sacrifice. He was left in awe of her and her planning abilities. Hell she'd even managed to get him out on bail. 'Elizabeth, my Angel,' Jason thought with a smile. He happen to look down at his young son. The resemblance to himself was uncanny, but his son had his beautiful mother's smile. He removed the bottle and set it on the table beside him. Jake needed to be burped.

After a few pats, Jake was burped and had started to fall asleep. Jason was content to continue rocking him. Tears slowly made their way down his face. 'I don't want to miss your life little Jake, or your brother's or sister's either. I have to get these charges dropped,' Jason thought as he continued to rock his son.

Elizabeth came back in a second later and watched Jason. She knew he missed them so much, especially these small moments. Instinctively she decided grab the throw blanket from the bed and wrap them in it. Then she laid down on her side content to watch her husband and son for a while.

After a half hour went by, Elizabeth had nodded off and Jason knowing that he was also fatigued decided to lay Jake down in the crib, and swaddle him.

 _Flashback_

 _It was early May and many storms had passed over the previous month. Interpol and the PCPD were on the lookout for Jason Morgan in connection with the murder of Lorenzo Alcazar. A worldwide BOLO had been ordered. Anna Devane had been kind enough to forewarn them. She knew he didn't do it, based on the timing but her hands were tied in her pursuit to find Helena. She believed that someone in Jason's organization had gotten to Lucky already, but she didn't have any evidence confirming that. Francis had stayed with the family as an added means of protection, plus he ran all the errands for Jason, because the authorities were on the lookout for him._

 _Emily, headed back to attend Nik's Funeral. Johnny went back as her primary source of protection. There'd been no word on Spencer's wellbeing which had been Emily's primary concern. She'd been in contact with Jason and Elizabeth through Johnny._

 _Jason, Elizabeth, Aurora, and Cameron were staying at Il Mio Vento for the deration of Elizabeth's pregnancy. She was due any day and had been experiencing Braxton Hicks for the last few weeks._

 _Upstairs they set up a birthing pool suggested by the midwife who'd been stopping by almost daily now to take Elizabeth's measurements._

 _Aurora and Cameron were watching TV in the upstairs living room. Jason had set up satellite for the kids and had purchased the American channel packages. He didn't see any reason his children should suffer._

 _He still couldn't believe it. In mid-March they'd found out that Cameron was indeed his biologically. His heart soared at the news. The day he found out, he found it hard to take his eyes off of Cameron. His mind went back to all the time lost and now all the time they would gain. Now that he really looked at Cameron he could see that he was combination of Alan and Elizabeth. Cameron looked like Alan with Elizabeth's curls._

 _Aurora had been cleared in April medically. She was still reluctant to dance, but she had no problem skipping or jumping. He still couldn't believe that she'd been so open to him adopting her, and getting to be her dad. She was his precious little girl, and had the most adorably sweet personality, not unlike Elizabeth. She had him wrapped around her finger, and the craziest thing was that she had absolutely no idea. She could get away with literally anything and Jason had no problem covering for her. Though the two didn't look alike, Aurora and Elizabeth's personalities were nearly identical. He loved to dote on her, and he also loved to watch Elizabeth with her. They had their own special little bond, similar to one that he was developing with Cameron. Aside from all the legal drama waiting for him back home, his life was perfect. It more complete than ever thought it could be. After he emerged from his coma Jason would have thought that domestication would've been so boring. However, nothing could've been further from the truth. Each day with Elizabeth and the kids brought a surprise. While his work would always take him to the fringe of society, Elizabeth and the children, made him feel normal. They gave his personal life purpose. He no longer existed just to serve Sonny and Carly's needs. Ironically, domestication had been completely liberating. With his family he found all-encompassing love and acceptance; not the kind that Sonny and Carly offered either. This wasn't quid-pro-quo. This was outright utter acceptance. Elizabeth had given herself to him completely, entrusting not only her well-being, but her heart and their children to his care and he was humbled by the power of that trust._

 _It was the afternoon, and as he sat watching Cameron and Aurora play while watching their movies, he realized how fortunate he was._

 _"_ _Daddy?" Aurora asked as she looked over at Jason with a big smile and her long pigtails flowing and her head tilted in query, "Whatcha thinkin' about?"_

 _"_ _I was just thinking about you, Cameron, the baby and Mommy," Jason replied as he smiled down at the precious girl._

 _"_ _Mmmmm…." Elizabeth said as she exited their bedroom. She'd been resting before, "Jason, babe. You-you need to call the midwife. My contractions started a while ago."_

 _And with that information Jason was up with a shot, pulling out his phone in the process. He had the midwife's number on speed dial. After two rings the phone picked and Jason conveyed that Elizabeth's water had broken and contractions were underway._

 _"_ _How far apart would say your contractions are babe?" Jason asked Elizabeth who was slightly bent as he was trying to brace her._

 _"_ _About 4 minutes apart," Elizabeth said._

 _"_ _Le contrazioni sono a 4 minuti di distanza," Jason replied to the midwife over the phone, "ok, ciao," Jason said hanging up._ _"_ _Well," Elizabeth said panting._ _"_ _Let's get the pool set up? Has your water broken yet?"_ _"_ _No, which is good. It's better for the baby and I because the amniotic sac creates a barrier. This is better. Let's fill up the pool, and I'm gonna walk around up here for a bit. You remember what the nurse said, if I go in too soon the water may prevent me from producing enough potocyn to keep labor stimulated."_ _"_ _Whatever you want to do, you're the boss," Jason said as he ran his hands up and down her back._ _"_ _Mommy, are you gonna be okay?" Cameron asked curious._ _"_ _I'm gonna be just fine. Your little brother is on the way that's all. Don't you worry about a thing," Elizabeth said reassuring the children in the room._ _"_ _They baby's coming?" Aurora asked looking up from her toys, "Oh, this is so exciting. What can I do to help you mommy?"_ _"_ _Why don't you two run downstairs and bring up a few bottles of water. Daddy and I may need them later. Do you two think you can do that for us?"_ _"_ _We sure can, Mommy," Aurora replied as she sprinted toward the stairs with Cameron trailing right behind her._ _"_ _I don't know who's more excited, us or them," Jason said with a smile as looked up from the pool that he was was filling with a hose that was connected to an adapter from the bathroom tub faucet._ _"_ _I'm going to adust the temperature settings. It'll take a while for it to fill up," Elizabeth said as she carefully made her way to the bathroom. Once inside the bathroom, she shut the door adjusted the temperature to a warmer setting and used the restroom while she could._ _As she exited the restroom, Francis made his way up the stairs, "What can I do Jason? The kids said it was time for the baby to arrive."_ _Jason looked at Francis, "Go boil two pots of hot water. This water is tepid, but the tub takes over a hundred gallons. We don't the water too hot or too cold. The temperature should be warm."_ _"_ _I'll get right on it," Francis said as he descended the stairs and headed for the kitchen._ _The children passed Francis on the way up with some water for mommy and daddy, "Daddy, daddy, we broughted the water!" Cameron exclaimed in excitement as Aurora kept pace beside him._ _"_ _Thanks you two. Just put them over there," Jason said smiling at his two beautiful little helpers came up the steps. Elizabeth walked out of the restroom and another contraction hit._ _"_ _You okay?" Jason asked from the pool._ _Elizabeth was breathing harshly, and Aurora ran to her, "Oh mommy, do you have a boo-boo?"_ _Elizabeth let out a breath, "I'm...I'm fine baby girl. Your little brother wants to leave mommy's belly."_ _"_ _Does it hurt lots?" Aurora said stroking her mommy's tummy._ _"_ _Umm, off and on," Elizabeth said being honest with the little girl, "but it's supposed to. I'll be okay. See the pain is starting to go away, and then it will be back. Then it will go away again."_ _"_ _Oh," Aurora said in reply taking the bit of information in. She really didn't know what to make of it._ _"_ _Let's gather the towels we'll need, and then mommy's going to change into something that's easy for me to wear in the pool._

 _Aurora and Elizabeth laid the towels down by the birthing pool, and Elizabeth changed. As she came out of the room again another contraction hit, but Cameron walked up to steady her this time. "I gotcha mommy," Cameron said proudly._

 _Elizabeth took a few deep breaths, and after a minute the contraction ended. It was then that Jason walked up the stairs with a boiling pot of water, and poured it into the pool. "Wait about ten minutes, Elizabeth then get in. I'm going to run down stairs and refill this pot, and Francis should be on his way up with the other one," Jason said as walked by and gave her a kiss, "I'll be right back. Just sit on the couch for a few minutes, or walk around whichever you prefer. Cameron, Aurora, stay with mommy and help her. Daddy will be right back."_

 _Liz let out a chuckle, it was clear that Jason was terribly excited about the baby. They'd been preparing for this the last few weeks. Everyone knew their part, even the kids._

 _Aurora walked over and took her mommy's hand, "Do you want to walk with me or do you want to sit down mommy?"_

 _"_ _Let's just pace up here for a few minutes," Elizabeth said as she slowly walked around the upstairs living room, humming as she went. After a couple minutes another contraction passed. She was at the far end of the living room and she suddenly felt a strong embrace that rubbed her belly as the contraction passed. With his chest pressed to her back she let her head fall back, letting out a small groan of pain._

 _"_ _You're amazing, Elizabeth. So strong," Jason said lovingly._

 _"_ _I love you so much, Jase. Are you excited to meet your new son?" Elizabeth asked as they slowly swayed while the pain started to flow away._

 _"_ _Yes, but I have to admit, I'm still in the awe of the two you've already given me. I can't believe how lucky I am."_

 _"_ _We are so fortunate," Elizabeth said as she briefly pulled away in order to turn around and embrace her husband._

 _"_ _The dogs have been out, and it looks like a storm is coming through. Francis brought some candles and lighters in case we need them. I have the emergency bag in the SUV incase you need it. The nurse should be here provided she's not hampered by the weather," Jason said then kissed Elizabeth's forehead._

 _"_ _You think of everything," Elizabeth said with a smile full of adoration._

 _"_ _Francis ordered in for the us and the kids. I know you can't eat, but you may want something after the delivery."_

 _"_ _So good to me,"Elizabeth said, "How about we put on a movie for the kids. I don't want them to be too worried for me. This way they can be distracted."_

 _"_ _Sure, we can do that," Jason said as he walked over to the upstairs tv. "Cam, Rora, do you two want to watch a movie while we wait for the baby?"_

 _"_ _I do," said Cameron._

 _"_ _Yeah, me too," Aurora replied gingerly._

 _"_ _I want to watch Toy Story," Cameron said._

 _"_ _It's Cameron's turn daddy," Aurora said._

 _"_ _Thank you for being honest, Aurora. You can pick the next one. Why don't you pick it out now so we know," Jason said as he knelt down to DVD console._

 _"_ _I want to watch Lady and the Tramp next," Aurora said._

 _"_ _Okay, after Toy Story, we'll put on Lady and the Tramp," Jason said, pulling his little girl in for a hug and a kiss on the forehead._

 _Aurora giggled, "You're itchy, daddy."_

 _"_ _I haven't had a chance to shave today. Did my scruff tickle your soft skin?"_

 _Aurora nodded yes._

 _Cameron walked with Elizabeth over to the pool. She was gripping the side of the pool as another contraction ripped through her and Cameron was offering her praise and words of comfort, "Thank you, Cameron. What a great helper you are."_

 _"_ _I love you, mommy. You're the bestest mommy ever. When will he come out?"_

 _"_ _We've got some time, why don't you go watch your movie, baby. Mommy's going to get in this special pool."_

 _"_ _Kay, mommy," Cameron said as scampered over to the couch._

 _Elizabeth carefully climbed into the tub with Jason's help, "I'm going to change into my swim trunks and then I'll climb in with you, okay?_

 _"_ _Sure Jase," Elizabeth said, "I'll just be here existing like a beached whale."_

 _"_ _You are far from a whale," Jason said as he stroked her cheeck lovingly._

 _"_ _You are good to me. Hurry, go change," Elizabeth said, "I promise I won't have him while you're gone," Elizabeth said playfully._

 _"_ _Funny," Jason said as he went to the restroom to retrieve his swim trunks where he had them waiting. A few minutes later when Jason emerged he walked over to the birthing pool and climbed in behind Elizabeth._

 _"_ _Mmmmm," Elizabeth moaned as Jason sat behind her and lovingly stroked her back._

 _"_ _How far apart are the contractions now?" Jason asked._

 _Elizabeth was looking at her watch when she responded,"We're lookin' at about three and half minutes apart. This should go fairly quickly. Cameron was a quick birth," Elizabeth said and noticed Jason's expression change slightly hurt. "Oh, Im sorry Jason."_

 _"_ _Don't be. You didn't know that he was mine. I'm just glad to be here now. To be a part of this," Jason said with a sad smile._

 _"_ _I'm so glad I have you," Elizabeth said as she gripped his legs that were laying down beside her and held on through the contraction. After about 40 seconds the pain supsided, "Sorry about that, but we're still on track for about three and half minutes though."_

 _"_ _Are you thirsty?"Jason asked._

 _"_ _No, are you?" Elizabeth asked with a wistful smile.._

 _"_ _I'm fine. I'm just excited."_

 _"_ _Me too!" Elizabeth replied._

 _"_ _Ciao, Cioa, Sono io Nutrice Stella Russo." (Hello, hello, It's me Nurse Stella Russo)_

 _"_ _Ciao Nutrice Russo, we're laboring," Elizabeth said with a chuckle. She really liked this midwife._

 _"_ _Okay, I'm a gonna set up my equip-a-ment, and we will see about da bambino, no?"_

 _"_ _Sounds good to us," Jason said._

 _Nurse Stella, set up the equipment. After about 15 minutes, the nurse was examining Elizabeth. You're dialted to about 8 centimeters and your water hasn't broken yet. When you get to 10 centimeters and break your water at that point. Hopefully, that will usher your baby out."_

 _"_ _Fine by me," Elizabeth said, looking down at the nurse who evaluating her._

 _After about an hour the contractions were down to every two minutes. She hadn't dialated further at that point, but Elizabeth was certain it wouldn't be much longer._

 _Jason held her through it all._

 _After two more, hours Elizabeth was fully dialated, her water had finally broken and the baby was taking his leave of her womb._

 _"_ _Push, Elizabeth, I've got you," Jason said._

 _"_ _You can do it, Mommy," Aurora said in encouragement._

 _"_ _Dis is so wierd," Cameron stated as he watched in awe and slapped his right hand to his forehead, being dramatic._

 _Jason gave his young son a stern look, before shaking his head in amusement at the boy's assessment of the situation._

 _Elizabeth nodded her head as she took in the others encouragement, and bore down on using Jason's thighs for leverage. After two more pushes, Jacob Martin Morgan made his grand enterance into the world._

 _The midwife pulled the baby up and placed him in his mother's arms, as he lay across her torso._

 _"_ _Jason, he's so beautiful. He looks just like you," Elizabeth said through watery tears._

 _"_ _Thank you for giving me such beautiful children. He's so perfect Elizabeth."_

 _"_ _Of course he is, he's your son afterall," Elizabeth said as she turned her head to kiss his cheek._

 _Jason felt truly completed at that moment. He had a family that he wanted, with the woman he wanted. He didn't deserve it but he endevored to try._

 _End Flashback._

After he laid Jacob down in his crib, he walked over to Elizabeth and placed the blanket on her. Then he went in search of his two other children. They were supposed to be in Emily's room. He stood in the doorway and took in Cameron's sleeping form. Emily lay next to him, passed out from the exhaustion of the previous day and her pregnancy. He didn't see Aurora.

It was then that the door to Emily's bathroom opened up and out came a sleeply Aurora rubbing her eyes. As she looked up her daddy caught her eye, "Daddy," Aurora said as she ran to him. The other two must have been tired because they slept through it.

"My Aurora," Jason said as he gathered her up.

"I missed you so much? I'm so glad your home!" Aurora replied as she squeazed him with all her might.

"I missed you too sweetie!" Jason replied as he held her tight, "Let's go talk in your room so we don't wake the others."

"Okay, daddy," Aurora said.

"Which room is yours?" Jason asked.

"I'm that one right over there," Aurora as she whispered and pointed at the room just across the hall.

Jason walked her to her room and sat her down on her bed.

"How have you been, Aurora?" Jason asked.

"I've been okay. I've been helping mommy and Aunt Emily with the babies. Just like you told me, I'm posed to," Aurora said.

"I know that you have been, and I'm so proud of you."

"Will you stay wif me for a wittle while?" Aurora asked tiredly.

"Sure, I can stay with you for a bit," Jason said as he sat down in the rocking chair that was in her room. She laid her little head on his shoulder and after a few minutes of rocking her grip loosened and her breath evened out. He'd missed holding his children. Prison wasn't an option. He couldn't go back to existing. After 10 more minutes of rocking, Jason put his little princess to sleep and covered her gently and whispered, "I love you, my little Aurora."

He left the night light on for her and walked back to his and Elizabeth's room. He peeked in on Jacob who was still asleep and crawled into bed, spooning up behind his Elizabeth where slumber finally took him.


	33. Chapter 33

I don't own ABC, General Hospital, or any of these characters.

What I do have is a particular set of skills that makes me a nightmare for people like the actual writers and producers of General Hospital...I have a plot. Enjoy kids...and remember that if you're offended that I paint Sam McCall as a weak, useless, immoral floozy...use the filter. That's what it's there for. All my supporters thank you! And I will try to update as much as possible!

Chapter 33.) The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend

The day after Liz killed Tom Baker. Around noon EST.

It was unusual, to have all of them gather at Greystone Manor. To be honest, Elizabeth felt slightly uncomfortable. Sonny hadn't been welcoming to her in years, and now here she was, Mrs. Jason Morgan. Then there was Carly to contend with. The fact of the matter was that if they were going to get the charges dropped against Jason, then they were going to have to put their differences aside and work together. Elizabeth had only spoken to Sonny through intermediaries since returning to Port Charles. Thankfully, she had Emily with her to help her maintain her confidence. So many times in the past, Sonny's decisions came between Jason and herself. At least now, Jason couldn't easily walk away due to the 'danger,' Elizabeth thought picking up Jacob, from the car seat. Jason picked up Cameron who'd fallen asleep on the way over and grabbed Aurora's delicate little hand as he escorted them to the door. Elizabeth carried Jake and walked up with a pregnant Emily beside her. Johnny and Francis walked behind them.

Jason didn't even have to ring the doorbell, as Sonny was waiting at the door arms extended, "Man it's good to see you out of that place, but how did that happen?"

"My wife is amazing," Jason said as he nodded his head back to Elizabeth who blushed at her husband's praise.

"Hi Sonny," Elizabeth said as she walked up to the door while patting Jake's back.

"Hi Elizabeth. Emily," Sonny said as he acknowledged both women. Moving inside to let the family in.

"Hi," Emily replied slightly winded.

"Go take a seat, Emily. Put your feet up," Sonny said, "Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, not yet I'm fine. Just tired, which as we all know is to be expected," Emily said as they all made their way to Sonny's living room.

Sonny nodded his head in understanding, "Elizabeth, can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure, water's fine," Elizabeth replied as she stood in Sonny's living room.

"Water? Coming right up," Sonny replied before looking at Jason, "You want anything, man?"

"Yeah, I'll take a water too." Jason said as he walked over to the couch and placing Cameron down to sleep. Jason stood and realized that Aurora was standing behind him, and clutching his pant leg rather tightly. Aurora had truly missed him, and with all that she'd lost and gained along the way it was only natural that she was afraid of losing him again.

Sonny handed out the drinks to the adult and then looked at Aurora kneeling down to her level, "So you must be Aurora?"

Aurora hid behind her Daddy's leg, but politely extended her hand forward to shake his, while nodding in affirmation. Unsure of the stranger before her.

"I bought some juice that my kids like to drink, would you like to have some?"

Aurora lightly smiled back at him, and nodded her head yes again. Sonny stood up to get Aurora her juice.

"There you go sweetheart," Sonny said. Aurora came out from behind Jason's leg and took the drink offered to her and smiled, and whispered back, "Thank you," to Sonny.

"You're welcome," Sonny replied, "Jason, I have more in there for Cameron when he wakes up."

"Thanks, man. Boy is it good to be out. Are we just waiting on Carly?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, she'll be here shortly. She was getting the boys ready for my week with them," Sonny said.

Elizabeth sat down next to Emily, still holding Jake, "Thanks for meeting with us Sonny."

"Of course. We have a lot to discuss, but before we do that…I just want to say that I'm sorry," Sonny said.

"It's Okay," Elizabeth replied.

"No…no it's not. I'm sorry for a lot of things. I've been going over my history. Thinking back on things, and Lainey helped me realize that I blamed you for things that couldn't possibly be your fault. It all started with faking my death, and I should've let Jason tell you. I didn't. I let my arrogance get in the way of my friendship with you. I even bought into Carly's narrative at the time, about how you weren't right for Jason. But I knew…I knew based on how he looked at you. You get under his skin in a way that no one ever has. Only one woman ever had that pull with me, and I ruined that every time that we tried. I understand what it is to lose the ideal woman…"

"Brenda?" Emily asked shifting on the couch as she tried to get comfortable.

Sonny nodded in return. "Don't get me wrong Em. You're a beautiful, wonderful, intelligent young woman. And as hard as it is for me to admit it, you're out of my league. Brenda and I share a history. Hot and Cold. I will always cherish her. She will always be my ideal. It just didn't work out. I'm glad that Jason and Elizabeth have worked it all out. I'm glad to see my best friend get to be with the woman that he has loved for so long, and I'm happy that a woman as good as Elizabeth will be treated well. It's a long time coming."

They were interrupted by the heavy clanking of heels when Carly entered the room. As she came around the corner she was startled to see Jason out of jail. "Ja-Jason!" Carly yelled as she ran up to him and hugged her best friend, "You're out! How is that even possible?"

"Elizabeth sprung me," Jason said

"Elizabeth sprung…you?" Carly asked looking over at Elizabeth, who was patting what she assumed was the new baby.

"Hello Carly," Elizabeth said in an even tone.

"Hello Elizabeth," Carly said. "When did you get into town? I was beginning to think that you didn't care."

"I was following Jason's wishes and taking care of some loose ends overseas on Jason's behalf. I came as soon as I could. I needed to gather some information to help defend him. Are we going to have the same old problem, Carly?" Elizabeth said while Carly crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"And what old problem is that? The one where you flake out because Jason's world is too dangerous?" Carly asked.

"Hey, I'm just going to escort Aurora to the other room and put on a movie," Emily said.

"Thanks, Em. Go with Em, Aurora, Mommy's got to talk to Auntie Carly," Elizabeth said.

Aurora reluctantly went with Emily. Once out of Aurora's earshot Elizabeth picked up the converstion.

"You see that's the problem where you incorrectly presume what I've done or what I'm doing and then do your very best to insult me, because if your behavior is indicator how we will be proceeding then I'll cut you out of what we know. I get that there's parts of Jason & Sonny's business that I won't be privy to. But where the kids are concerned I expect to be included, so that I can prepare properly. I'm not afraid of what I once was, and my fear was more about what could be happening to Jason and not knowing."

"Carly, why are you acting like this? I thought you wouldn't be fighting against Elizabeth anymore," Jason asked.

"I don't know. Old habits die hard. I guess…I just…felt like she abandoned you. We haven't heard from her in the last month or so."

"That's not true. I told Elizabeth to lie low when I turned myself in to Anna Devane. I've been receiving reports on Elizabeth's, Emily's and children's wellbeing. Although, they failed to mention that she relocated a couple of weeks ago to the U.S. She's done exactly as I asked."

"My moving back to the states was logistical issue. The timing had to be right. And as I stated before, I had to gather information in order to assist defending Jason and the lies against him. I've succeeded there. As of yesterday, all my enemies know that I'm back and playing for keeps."

"What does that mean?" Carly asked.

"I take it you haven't read today's headlines, have you?" Sonny said as he handed Carly the newspaper.

"Holy sh...Crap," Carly said as she tried to correct herself as she read the title _Granddaughter of the Late Esteemed Dr. Hardy, Kills Armed Intruder_. "Tom Baker is dead?"

"I sure hope so, I smacked him around and shot him. He wasn't moving when I was taken into custody last night."

"Where were your guards?" Sonny asked, becoming angry.

Jason merely shook his head.

"They were right where I wanted them to be," Elizabeth replied cheekily.

"And where was that?" Carly asked. She always got a lot of flak for ditching her guards.

"They were guarding Emily and the children of course," Elizabeth said.

"How did he know that you were visiting Audrey's last night? We have people watching him," Sonny asked concerned.

"Let's just say that I made sure he'd know where to find me, and I made sure that he would be seeking retribution."

"Oh my God, you set him up?" Carly asked. "Says here that he had shrine to you and that his room was destroyed."

"Well his room wasn't destroyed when I got there, but it was when I finished. As for the shrine, I merely placed some picture of me from the deception campaign on the bed, and some others of Emily and Aurora. I knew he wouldn't be able to help but paw at them. I also may have let it slip to Coleman that I was fixing up my grandmother's home and would be there unguarded."

"Nice. You pass the test," Carly said. "I think I'm going to like the new you much better. Now what did you get to help Jason's case?" Carly said as Emily slipped back in the room.

"Aurora's watching a movie across the hall," Emily stated as she made her way over to couch to reclaim her seat.

"Thanks, Em," Elizabeth said, "I have footage of Jason's plane landing in Lisbon in route to see me within the window of time they believe Alcazar was murdered. I also have one of the pilots willing to testify on Jason's behalf that he was with Emily on his way to Italy. The other was unwilling. He's testifying on behalf of the prosecution. Turns out the co-pilot had a record, so Ric is coercing him with it, but I have evidence to rebut that testimony."

"What is that?" Sonny asked.

"I have footage of Jason and Emily getting off the plane and back on in Lisbon, and I have video of Jason and Emily getting off the plane in Florence. Time, stamped and dated.

"Are you giving that to Diane?" Sonny asked.

"No, as a last resort. I want the co-pilot to testify. I want that woman the flight attendant that Ric plans on having testify to actually testify. I have footage of her being kicked off the plane. Once they testify, Edward is going to release the video to the news outlets. For all the world to see. Everyone will know that the witnesses perjured themselves. Diane and Ric will request the images for court. Diane will win in the interest of public opinion, because to keep that evidence out will be prejudicial. Two of the top witnesses will be dismissed. And Ric will lose the case. We also have images of Ric screwing Meeka and Sam. Ric appears to have preferred public places which will bite him in the butt."

"You've given this a lot of thought," Carly said.

"Don't think it's time he paid for what he has done to us? All because we wouldn't love him Sonny, at least not the way he needed."

Metro Court Parking Garage

"Why are we meeting here and when did that Bitch get back?" Sam said with rage.

"I don't know…couple of weeks ago," Ric replied. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Is it true she took out that Tom guy?" Sam asked not really believing that Saint Elizabeth had it in her.

"Tom Baker's very dead. I don't know how she pulled it off, but she did, and without help. Meaning we can't go after the organization for this one."

"Can't you just arrest her for murdering Tom Baker?" Sam asked.

"He broke into her family home with the intent to rape and probably kill her. No, she has a clad iron defense. Plus, it's a well-known fact that he was obsessed with her and raped her as a kid," Ric said.

"Damn, Lizzie strikes again. I'll have to think of another way," Sam said, "How's the case looking?"

"It's looking real good. Strong physical evidence thanks to you, and excellent eye-witness testimony. Jason's going to Pentenville for a long stretch. Elizabeth will be putty in my hands." Ric said.

Rolling her eyes Sam began…"So…you haven't come around as much," as she wantonly said as she made sure he got a good look at her cleavage while she reached out and touched his arm. They were in between cars so no one could see them at the moment. "What's the deal?"

"No deal, just been busy. Have you been missing your daddy?" Ric asked raising his eyebrows provactively.

"And what if I have? What we have isn't much, but it's better than nothing. Why don't you come by tonight and we'll have a victory fuck."

"I'm busy tonight, but I'll tell you what. I'll take you in the back seat of my car, and then you'll stay away from me for a while. We can't be seen together." Ric said as he opened the door and sat down in the middle. Sam slid in and shut the door. Thankfully she only had a short skirt on and a thong. Ric didn't even pull his pants down all the way. Sam climbed him and impaled herself. "Tell me you love me, Jason." Sam said as part of her fantasy. "Fine…"Ric said, "I love you, Elizabeth…I mean Sam…I love you…Sam." Both caught up in their fantasies they came and departed from one another.

Ric put himself back together and left the parking garage. Sam pulled herself back together and walked in to the Metro Court.

Grey Stone

They were enjoying lunch when Elizabeth's cell phone rang. "Excuse me while I take this."

"She is so different," Sonny said.

"She really is much more confidant in herself." Carly replied to Sonny, before looking over across the table at the quiet girl that was observing them and then goofily sticking her tongue out at Aurora making her giggle.

"She is too cute," Sonny said smiling at the pretty golden haired child with the large expressive brown eyes.

Cameron was sitting next to Aurora blowing raspberries at Jacob making him laugh, while Jason laughed. His face the picture of contentment. Emily had gone back to the couch where she had entered a food coma and only expressed a light snore.

"Hey," Carly whispered. "Is it just me or does Johnny have a bit of a crush on Emily? He seems very attentive."

"Good for him. He's a great guy, and if it develops into more Emily could use the help raising her baby, especially now that Nik is gone," Replied Sonny.

"I know…It's just tragic. I'm not close with Emily, but I do feel bad for her. At least, Tom is gone," Carly added.

At that point, Elizabeth walked back to the table with a chuckle.

"What…What's so funny?" Carly asked.

"Carly, what do you know about the camera's in the Metro Court parking lot?" We might be able to bring this case to a close a lot sooner. Are they just visual or are they audio only?"

"They're both now…after the hostage crisis we upgraded everything. Why?"

"How do you feel about getting revenge on Ric?" Elizabeth asked with smirk.

"I think we should move up the expose on our Dear Prosecuting Attorney."

"What do you have in mind?" Carly asked.

"Well…"


End file.
